Ghost
by TammyCat
Summary: Unable to destroy the Turtles herself Karai hires an assassin to kill them for her. Only this assassin hides a secret that will change the rules and put all their lives in danger. RaphXoc. Rated for swearing and content. Please R
1. Chapter 1

**To whomever was reading this before my computer shat itself,**

**The first two chapters have been edited but they should basically be the same. I'm reworking #2 at the moment.**

**I'm so sorry for the delay.**

Disclaimer- I do not own TMNT

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Welcome to New York City, Ghost."

"You summoned me?" A voice came out of the darkness.

"Yes. I have an assignment for you." Karai answered. She turned away from the window in time to see a shadow free itself from the wall and move stealthily across the floor.

The dark figure knelt before her and spoke, "Karai, Mistress of the Foot clan. I am duty bound to inform you that your contract with the Blood Guilds is ending." The shadow held out an envelope.

"Then you had better fulfil your side of the contract to my satisfaction." Karai answered taking the paper.

"How can I serve you?"

"The task I want you to do will be far different to any other the Guild has performed for me."

"We have never failed you." The black-clad Ghost locked eyes with Karai. Karai smiled slightly at the anger in those cold eyes.

"I am merely warning you not underestimate your prey. They have great skill and work as a team."

"I have never failed." The shadowy Ghost repeated.

Karai nodded and moved back to the window. She sensed the assassin moving back into the shadows and called over her shoulder. "Watch them and report their actions to me. Do nothing else."

Only Ghost's eyes shone in the candlelight. "As you wish, mistress."

* * *

"Mikey! If ya don' quit it, I'm gonna beat the crap outta ya." Raphael growled at his brother.

"But Raph! It won't take long, pleeeeeease!" Michelangelo pleaded hopping from one foot to the other.

"I'm trying to watch Super Smack-down and if ya don' move by three, I'm gonna move ya with my fist." Raph stood slowly showing the orange-banded turtle he meant business.

Mikey's eyes went wide. It was fun getting Raph all riled up but it usually ended in several bruises. "Please Raph. Just five minutes."

"One." Raph stepped forward.

"Come on Raph, you don't really want to hurt me." Even before he saw the smile bloom on Raph's face Mikey knew Raph would feel fine about what he would consider his _'exercise'._

"Two." Raph cracked his knuckles.

Mikey gulped but didn't move from infront of the screens. "Three minutes?"

"Three!"

Mikey screamed and ran as Raph lunged for him. Raph pursued Mikey around the room coming closer to catching him at every turn. Finally, after several minutes of running and dodging, Michelangelo found himself backed up in a corner with nowhere to run.

"I'm gonna enjoy this." Raph pushed one hand into Mikey's chest and the other drew back to strike.

"Raphael! Michelangelo!"

"Ah great." Raph muttered under his breath.

Leonardo dropped into the living area. "What's going on?"

"Nuthin'. We were just sparring." Raph replied pulling away from Mikey, who then looped an arm around Raph's neck. Donatello stepped out of his train-car adjusting his bo-staff on his back.

"I was just about to show Raph this cool new trick I mastered on my board." Mikey grinned as Raph snarled.

Leo nodded and walked towards the utron elevator with Don. "You can do that later Mikey we're going topside now."

"Excellent!" Michelangelo exclaimed as he ran for the alien device. Raph glowered and followed. He could use a good work out; maybe they would get lucky and run into the Foot then he could bash a few heads.

* * *

The turtles dashed through the city; jumping off ledges and propelling themselves through the air only to land gracefully on the next rooftop and do it all again. As they neared Central Park Leonardo gave the signal to stop. Catching their breath they looked out over the busy city, just a couple of blocks away Central Park sat in quiet tranquillity as the night settled over the ever busy city. Don started chasing Mikey around the roof because Mikey had hit him on the head with his nunchaku, Raph crouched on a maintenance shed and Leo watched the streets.

A shout broke the evening's peace.

Mikey stopped his impersonation of King Kong and hurried to the edge of the build with his brothers. A woman in a long coat ran down the alley calling out a name, a scream from the far end replied. The woman rushed after it. Leo looked at his brothers.

"Let's check it out."

They leapt from the edge onto the next building following the running figure. The alley opened into a wide courtyard, the woman stopped for a moment before spying a trio of people at one end, the one in the middle was struggling.

Raph had just scaled down the fire-escape in time to hear "Sara!" and see the cloaked woman dash towards the people. When she was halfway across the courtyard, lights flooded the area and people streamed out of the surrounding buildings. Raph recognised the insignia and cast a grin at his brothers.

Purple Dragons. They might not be Foot ninja but they would allow him some fun.

The gang surrounded the four people on three sides. The woman ran forward and pulled the smaller figure away from the gangsters.

* * *

"Stay behind me Sara." Raine commanded as she pushed her younger sister behind her. Moving backwards she blocked the gangsters from reaching Sara.

"Raine? We're cornered." Sara said fearfully as her back touched bricks.

"I know, but this way they can't sneak up on us." Raine replied as the gangsters approached.

"And we can't escape." Sara retorted. Raine raised her fists as one member ventured too close and got socked in the jaw.

"Do you have your pepper-spray?"

"Yeah." Sara pulled it out of her pocket.

"Use it."

* * *

Raph tensed as the gang closed in on the two women. 'I think it's time to intervene' Leo said next to him.

"I was hopin' you were gonna say that." Raph said as he jumped over the railing into the mob, closely followed by his brothers.

A Purple Dragon had just grabbed Raine by the arm and yanked her away from Sara when a shadow passed over and her assailant fell to the ground. Looking around she saw other figures moving swiftly in the dark. The gangsters were falling like flies. Raine stared, the people fighting the gangsters looked like they were in costumes, she watched as they flipped and kicked and sent the Purple Dragons flying through the air. Wrenching herself back to where she was, Raine searched the area for Sara; a muffled cry from the alley-way sent her in that direction. The deepening night made the shadows deeper, darker. Raine tried to see any flicker of movement, she darted forward intent on exploring the alley for her younger sister when a hand grabbed her around the neck and drew her into the shadows.

* * *

Raph looked at the unconscious bodies on the ground and grinned in triumph. It had been a short fight but tough enough for him to work out some tension. Raph's eyes skimmed the area for the two women, he'd last seen them next to a wall but there was no-one there now. Maybe they had run away when they had the chance. Raph turned to his brothers; Mikey was still spinning his nunchaku, Leo was taking all the weapons away from the bodies and Don was scouting the buildings.

"Guys you should see this."

Leo looked up. "What'd you find Don?"

"Electronics, weapons, drugs, money. It's all here."

"Something major's going down." Mikey said as he shoved his nunchaku into his belt.

"Definitely looks like it. Hey Raph, they even have cars hidden away in here…Raph?" Don turned to see his brother gazing down an alley, his sai's still in his hands. "Raph the fight's over, we won."

"Yeah, but I got this feeling that somthin' ain't right." Raph frowned and moved to his brothers.

Several sounds chose that moment to escape the alley and alert the four turtles to trouble. Hurrying into the alley Raph was glad that his instincts were still sharp. A loud clang came from halfway down the alleyway. Raph ran towards it with his brothers close behind. The sound of boots crunching met Raph's ears as he rounded a corner and followed another lane in search of the fight.

A shout rang out and Raph slowed, he was close and didn't want to run into a random fist.

* * *

"Sara run!" Raine screamed as she shoved her sister towards what she hoped was an exit.

"Bitch!" The gangster whose hand she had just bitten was looking murderous.

'_Fuck!'_ Raine thought as she tossed a look over her shoulder, running in the same direction Sara had gone, Raine prayed that she was safe. Another look over her shoulder proved that the burly gangster wasn't ready to let her go. Dashing passed boxes of junk and puddles that smelled repulsive Raine looked for glimpses of Sara, a scream to her left brought Raine to a stop. A yell from behind her sent Raine running down that side alley. The scream had sounded shocked and she was sure that it had been Sara. The alley was almost completely black; the shadows would have been perfect to hide in. Raine was still searching for Sara in the gloom when she ran into something unyielding.

Thud!

Raine landed hard on her butt. She looked up to see the wall that she had hit but instead saw the outline of a person in the darkness. Panic shivered up her spine. Crashing noises from the mouth of the alley meant that she was trapped between the unmoveable shadow infront of her and the Purple Dragon behind her.

* * *

Leo stared down at the girl, it the darkness her couldn't tell her age but she had sounded young when she had been screaming for the other girl. A quick look over his shoulder proved that the other girl was safely huddled in Mikey's arms. Leo reached out to the girl on the ground; hesitantly she placed her hand in his. Leo easily drew the girl to her feet. The sounds of the gangster were getting closer. Leo grabbed The girl by her shoulders spun around and propelled her towards his brother. Turning again Leo noticed that Raph had dropped from the fire-escape and was ready to fight the Purple Dragon. Loosening his katana, Leo moved into a fighting stance and waiting for their target to approach.

* * *

Raine stumbled through the alley; the mysterious figure had just spun and pushed her. Disorientated, Raine was happy when she finally reached a wall, bracing her hands; she leaned forward and rested her forehead against it. That was when it moved.

'_Fuck! Another one!'_ Raine's head shot up just as arms closed around her. Raine was struggling against those arms when she heard,

"Hey, take it easy. We're not going to hurt you." His voice was gentle and calming.

Raine looked up and searched the dark to make out the features of her rescuer but all she could see were his eyes. "Who are you? Where's my sister?"

Those eyes were gentle and warm with compassion. He opened his mouth to answer but was stopped when the sound of metal striking metal reverberated in the small area. Raine twirled around to see three dark figures fighting. One of those she guessed was the Purple Dragon the other two must be similar to the person holding her. The gangster swung a pipe hitting one of the defenders. The nameless guy holding her shouted, "Leo!" as a body slammed into the wall. Raine then found herself in a new set of arms as her rescuer darted forward to help his fallen comrade. Raine noticed that she was only being held by one arm, looking across Sara was in the other.

"Sara! Are you okay?" Raine pushed out of the arm and clutched her sister to her.

"Raine! Oh my god! I was so scared." Sara said as she held onto Raine.

"Come on dudettes let's get you outta here." He grabbed their hands and pulled them away from the fight.

* * *

"Leo!" Raph heard Donny scream behind him at the same time as he heard the thwack of Leo's shell hit the brick wall. Anger flared in Raph, he was the only one allowed to beat up Leo. Raph renewed his attack on the Purple Dragon. The guy was a mountain of muscle with a 3-foot metal pipe, Raph jumped the swinging pipe and kicked him in the head. The gangster fell hard, Raph advanced but was stopped by a hand on his arm. It was Leo.

"Let him go."

"What?" Raph demanded. He could see the Purple Dragon retreating.

"Let him go. Mikey got those girls out. That was all we wanted to do."

"I wanted ta beat the crap outta that guy."

Michelangelo bounded around the corner. "I dropped them off on the street."

"Come on guys, let's get out of here." Don said as he reached for the extension ladder on the nearest fire-escape.

* * *

Ghost stood on a rooftop watching the turtles arguing. _'They fight like ninjas but behave like teenagers.'_ She mused to herself. Overall Ghost was impressed with their style and skill, they would be difficult, but she was always up for a challenge. She grinned. She had watched them fighting the Purple Dragons half an hour ago, since then they had travelled through the city. They were now loitering on the top of an apartment building near the Hudson River.

A fight broke out amongst the brothers. Ghost leaned forward to study them. The turtle with the red bandanna appeared to be impatient to fight as he was the first to strike; the one Ghost had picked to be the leader was the target of his attack. Instead of meeting the attack the blue turtle merely blocked his brothers' strikes until the two other interfered. The Purple grabbed Red and pulled him apart from Blue, Orange ran over to help as Red broke free. Shaking off the others Red moved away and disappeared over the edge of the building.

Ghost straightened as the others followed. She could now develop a plan for the destruction of the turtles. Her conscience pricked a bit, it didn't seem right that these four warriors should die for revenge. But it wasn't her place to question the morals of her job, the turtles would get that same treatment as any of her other assignments. Still, she would speak to Karai about the use of innocents to lure prey. She was grateful that the turtles had saved that poor girl, any longer and she would have done it herself. Her watch beeped, she had to get back to her apartment.

"We'll meet soon turtles." Ghost whispered before disappearing into the dark.

* * *

Please review and let me know what you thought.

TammyCat


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the second altered chapter. **

**There have been bits and pieces added in so please enjoy.**

**Chapter 2**

Raph stood at his punching bag beating his frustration into it. The fight with Leo after their encounter with the Purple Dragons had gotten him all worked up again. What he needed was to go out with Casey, then he could bash heads until dawn. As if reading his thoughts Mikey sat up from his game and said,

"Hey guys, do you think April and Casey are back yet?"

Don looked up from the table where he was reading the newspaper. "No Mikey. They would have called us if they were."

"Maybe we should go check. I mean, to see if the shop's okay." Don stared at him. "You know, see that it hasn't been broken into."

Don looked unconvinced. Leo walked in from the dojo.

"You think we should go, don't you Leo?"

Leo sighed, he didn't know what this discussion was about but he had just been dragged into it. Don looked sceptical and Mikey looked expectant and pleading. A movement near a door brought Leonardo's attention to Raph leaning against the door-jam, his expression unreadable.

"Where do you want to go Mike?"

"April's shop." At Leo's blank look he elaborated. "To make sure it hasn't been broken into."

"That might be a good idea. She did ask us to check on it occasionally." As Leo said this Mikey jumped up and whipped out his nunchaku, Leo smiled. "I don't think you'll need those."

* * *

The trip to April's shop was uneventful, much to Raph's displeasure. He had been hoping to run into a few criminals and work out his anger. If he didn't get any action soon he would have to get a new punching bag.

They stopped on the building across from '_2nd Time Around_'. No lights were on upstairs in April's apartment and all appeared quiet in the shop as well.

"Okay guys looks like everything's fine, let's go." Leo was already walking away from the ledge when Mikey cried out.

"Dudes wait! There's a light on downstairs." The three other turtles turned back and searched the dark windows…There!

A small glimmer of light, like from a torch or lantern, flickered in the downstairs windows. Raph stretched his muscles; it looked like he'd get to kick some butt tonight after all.

"All right, Raph, Don go underground and come up through the basement. Mikey and I will enter through April's apartment. We'll corner the intruders in five minutes." Leo directed them and they split.

Raph and Don slinked into the sewer and under the street. It would take only a few moments to find the tunnel that would lead them to April's basement.

"When we hear Leo and Mike upstairs we go." Don said as they waited behind the cupboard that hid the entrance to the tunnel. It wasn't too long before they heard voices.

"No, I'll check the basement for something worthwhile, you can make sure the security alarm isn't about to go off."

A figure appeared at the head of the stairs. The speaker had sounded female but the shadow was too undefined to tell who was descending. The person rummaged through April's stash of antiques until they had several boxes and started up the stairs. A cry split the air and the shadow stumbled, tipping backwards.

"Quick Raph." Donatello said as they dashed out of their hiding spot to catch the falling figure. Don stretched out to stop the person from falling; unfortunately he was too late and managed to save only the boxes from crashing down the stairs. Raph jumped over Don, caught the falling person before they hit the next step and found his arms full of female.

"Don go check on Leo, I'll take care of this one." Raph said as he pulled the girl back against his plastron, pinning her arms with his. She yowled and tried to pull away from him.

"Oh no ya don't. Ya gonna pay for breaking into April's shop."

"I wasn't breaking in," She struggled some more. "April asked me to look after the shop while she was away."

"Now why don't I believe you?" Raph asked sarcastically.

A terrified scream came from upstairs and Raine strained away from the hard body that held her.

"Sara!" She yelled up the stairs. Raine twisted and looked up at her captor's shadowy face. "What are they doing to my sister?"

Raine struggled harder until a dull thump occurred.

Raph and Raine both looked up at the ceiling to see pale dust falling through the dark air above them. Muffled sounds came down the stairs and Raine began cursing silently. Raph watched the stairs and was rewarded with a sharp pain in his foot.

Raine took advantage of the temporarily weakened grasp to wrench herself away from her captor.

While he was hopping, Raine pelted up the staircase and into the shop. Three figures were surrounding her sister's prone form. The torch on the floor cast strange shadows of the unknown people across the walls and antiques.

Reacting instinctively Raine ran forward and dropped, kicking the legs out of one before they noticed she was there. Leo and Don turned at Mikey's startled shout. Raph chose that moment to appear at the door.

"Watch her, she hurts." He warned as Leo ducked a punch.

Raine aimed a high kick for one of their heads, instead of it striking flesh it was caught by her target.

"What are you doing here?" Leo asked.

"What are you doing here? And what did you do to my sister?" Raine demanded.

"Nothing. What are you doing here?" Leo repeated still not letting go of her foot. Deciding that she was in a vulnerable position Raine weighed her options.

"Let me go and we can talk." Leo nodded and released her. Setting her foot back on solid ground Raine turned and checked her sister. Sara was breathing steadily, she had only fainted.

Heaving her unconscious sister off the floor Raine staggered under the dead weight. One of the strangers stepped next to her, she could see purple around his eyes.

"Can I help?"

"Can I trust you?" She asked.

"Yes." The voice sounded familiar.

"Can you pick her up? We can talk upstairs."

* * *

Sara watched her older sister paced from one side of the room to the other. After waking up and finding herself surrounded by four six-foot tall humanoid turtles she had almost fainted again but was saved by Raine, who then explained the situation and introduced everyone, she was now chatting quietly with Michelangelo.

"I'm surprised you haven't been freaking out more, we usually get screamed at." Don said, leaning against a wall.

She smiled faintly. "Oh no, I am freaking out, I'm just doing it on the inside."

A clock chimed somewhere in the apartment.

"Oh damn!" Raine turned to her sister. "We gotta go. Its eleven o'clock and you've got school tomorrow."

Sara groaned as she stood, she looked at Mikey. "Will we see you again?" She asked hopefully. Mikey looked to Leo for an answer.

"We'll see." With that the turtles left via the fire-escape.

Sara looked at Raine. "They were nice; I hope we do see them again." She turned back to the window. "They seem really familiar."

"Yes, they do." Raine replied in an almost detached voice.

Sara glanced back at her sister. A blank, almost cold expression covered her face, Sara shivered. She hated it when Raine looked like that, it always brought back memories of before Raine disappeared.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Sara asked tentatively.

Raine's head twitched as warmth returned to her face and she smiled. Sara relaxed and grabbed her backpack.

"Sure, let's get home before we run into anyone else."

Sara smiled back and linked her arm through Raine's. The ten minute walk back to their apartment would be creepy but with her sister beside her it wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

"Hey Mikey, where'd ya go?" Raph asked the night, standing on the edge of a building searching for his younger brother.

Mikey popped up on the next rooftop "Dude, hurry up. If we don't get back to the lair first we're paying for the pizza."

Raph jumped across the space and chased after his brother. Moments later Raph found Mike standing on a building staring into space.

"Yo Mikey! I thought ya wanted free pizza." Raph looked at Mikey's transfixed face. "What are ya staring at?"

Following Mikey's gaze Raph found himself looking at a silhouette on a high-rise nearby. The black figure dropped from its perch and stepped into the moonlight. Both Raph and Mike continued to stare. The creature was clad in black material from its head to its feet, only a sliver of pale skin and its eyes were visible. A glint of metal brought Raph's gaze to the two sais and sword strapped to its hips.

It looked like a ninja.

Easing his sais out of his belt Raph tensed for a fight. A strong wind made Raph cover his face to protect it from grit and dirt, looking back at the figure he saw it had also turned its head away from the wind and a long stream of moon-silver hair fluttered in the wind. Another stronger gust made Raph shield his face again and when he looked back the dark ninja was gone.

Mikey was the first to speak. "Dude, that was weird. Was that one of the Foot?"

"No Mikey, that was definitely not Foot. Let's get back and tell the others."

* * *

Ghost entered the tower through the same window as last time. Dropping to the floor she hugged the shadows until Karai was in sight, and range. Easing a throwing dagger out of its sheath she sent it flying.

It hit and sunk deep into the wooden ledge of the alter Karai was meditating in front of. Ghost stepped out of the shadows as Karai's head whipped around, her hand on her katana.

"What is the meaning of this?" Karai demanded.

"I have identified the targets. They are indeed skilled."

Karai smiled. She knew that Ghost would be back to question her about the turtles. But Ghost surprised her.

"The use of an innocent to lure the targets was unnecessary. Had the girl been hurt our contract would be terminated."

Karai scowled, this was unwelcome news. "The Purple Dragons will no longer be used to trap the turtles. The next time you face them I want you to fight."

Ghost bowed. "Yes Mistress."

* * *

**What did you think? Please review and let me know.**

**TammyCat**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, I come bearing apologies and a new chapter. Ghost has a bigger part this time. **

**TammyCat**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Leo stood in the doorway and watched as Raphael hammered into his punching bag savagely, while Michelangelo flipped and somersaulted across the dojo

Leo stood in the doorway and watched as Raphael hammered into his punching bag savagely, while Michelangelo flipped and somersaulted across the dojo.

The scene had become quite normal over the last few days. Ever since Raph and Mikey had come home talking about some strange ninja all they had been doing was searching for it or talking about it.

In that time they had also been searching in vain for the Purple Dragons and the Foot, making Raphael more volatile and short-tempered and Mikey wouldn't stop talking. Just like now.

"Raph, dude…Hey Raph! Do you reckon we'll find Betty soon?"

The Ninja had been dubbed 'Betty' after Michelangelo had seen _Kung Pow_ too many times and the ninja had, inevitably, come up in conversation.

"How. Would. I. Know." Raph's fists slammed with each word. "Ask. Fearless. Leader."

Mikey watched Raph beat into the bag for several more moments before flipping backwards onto a raised platform and noticing his other brother. "Leo! Are we going out again tonight?"

Leonardo pushed away from the doorway and regarded his brother silently, a hopeful expression on his face. Mikey had always been more interested in chasing mysteries than practising his ninjitsu.

"We've been searching for this ninja for a week, with nothing to go on but what you think you saw. We should be focusing on why the Purple Dragons have disappeared, or on what the Foot is doing."

Michelangelo flipped off the ledge and landed lightly. "Bro, I know what I saw, it's real."

"All I'm saying is that if it wanted to contact us, it could have done that any number of times this week, and it hasn't."

Raphael abandoned his punching bag and slung an arm around Mikey's neck. "All Leo's sayin' is that he thinks we're wastin' our time when we could be doin' somethin' _he_ thinks is a good idea."

"Don't put words in my mouth Raph."

"I don' have to, I can read your mind."

Leo narrowed his eyes. "Fine, this is the last night we look for your ninja. Tomorrow we search for the Purple Dragons."

Raph smiled smugly. "Works for me. Let me know when we're leaving." He returned to his punching bag.

Leo sighed and left the dojo. Even after twenty-two years of living in the darkness of New York City, they were still chasing ghosts.

* * *

Michelangelo ambled into the lair after their arranged Betty search, which had been fruitless like every other night that week. Sighing despondently he fell onto the couch and flicked on the wall of t.v's even as his thoughts were chasing the elusive ninja through his head.

_How could it have just disappeared like that? Where was it hiding now? Was it in league with the Shredder? Did it want to help them? What was its name?_

Getting increasingly broody over the absence of his obsession Michelangelo tried to focus on the screens infront of him.

News readers with perfect hair and clear complexions were pretending to care as they spoke about the horrible events happening around the world.

He changed the channel.

A bunch of over-paid yuppies abandoned on some tropical island bitched about how hard it was living without the comforts of a five star hotel.

Click.

A children's movie with the stereotypical princess and hero singing about how much they loved each other but couldn't be together.

Click.

A woman with big hair and thick make-up pouted and glared at a bulked up man across a room. Around them people stared in fascination and whispered behind hands.

"Ah, Michelangelo. Thank you for turning on my stories."

Mikey jumped when Master Splinter appeared next to him. Rushing off the couch he bowed and retreated to his room. The pointless shows had done nothing to move the ninja from his head.

As he walked towards his room, eyes on the floor, he didn't notice the other turtle stepping out from a doorway. Mikey ran head first into the other's shell. Bouncing back he stumbled and landed on his butt. Looking up he saw Raph's scowling face.

"Sorry bro, I wasn't watching where I was goin'."

Raph nodded, reached up and pulled Mikey to his feet.

"Stop worryin' 'bout the ninja. You know how Leo'll get if you don't focus on training."

Mikey nodded and watched Raph walk away. His brother's out of character advice brought his inquisitive spirits back around. _What had brought that sort of attitude out in his brother?_

* * *

_The next night_

It was a quiet night for crime, which was unusual to say the least. None of the Purple Dragons factions were harassing any poor innocents and even the petty street muggers had taken the night off. Confused with this new situation the foursome headed for the one place where criminals seemed to congregate. The docks.

You could always rely on some sort of crime being committed in the shadows of the large warehouses.

"What is going on around here?" Raph demanded as they stopped on the roof of a warehouse. "Where is everyone?"

The other three shifted and glanced around uncertainly. They had also noticed that there was a surprising lack of humanity in the area.

"He's right. Not even the lowest criminals are skulking around." Donatello commented as they slipped inside the building. "It's almost as if everyone was evacuated."

"If that was true we would have heard about it on the news." Leo replied. "Are you sure this is the Purple Dragon's new warehouse?"

"Of course, when am I wrong?" Don said, only a little smug.

A soft rustling set the turtles on the edge. Shadows deepened and shifted as they were watched. Suddenly the warehouse's lights came on with a loud hum.

"Don, I hate to tell ya, but you're wrong. Looks like they were bought out by the Foot."

Looking around Leonardo saw that Mikey was right, the Foot were indeed in control of the warehouse and the situation. Surrounded on all sides by the black-clad ninjas, Leo estimated their chances of survival to be low. They had never faced this many of Karai's henchmen before.

Slipping his katana out of their sheaths, he tensed for the first attack. A quick glance at his brothers showed that they anticipated the fight as much as him.

A foot ninja darted forward and Leo engaged him. The battle had begun.

* * *

Ghost watched the fight from her position on a rafter. The turtles fought valiantly but Karai had sent enough warriors to over-whelm a small country. It was drastically uneven and would no-doubt end in the slaughter of her targets. She couldn't allow that.

Slipping from the safety of her high perch she landed lightly behind a guard on the top level. He crumpled to the floor as Ghost slipped her long knife out from between his ribs. Silently she made her way into the fray, occasionally taking out a Foot ninja when they appeared before her.

A carefully nurtured second sense attracted Ghost's attention to the blue turtle. He was fighting with a brilliant technique that bespoke hours of rigorous training, against several opponents. It took her a moment to see where the danger came from. Behind him a Foot ninja raised his katana. One strong swing with that would take the distracted turtles' head clean off.

Withdrawing her blade, Ghost snuck behind the ninja.

* * *

Leo dodged, parried and returned attacks from his assailants. Slowly they fell one by one and Leo paused to catch his breath. Every time he got rid of one, two more would take its place.

Sudden instinct alerted Leo to the danger behind him. Pivoting, he raised his katana to block the attack he expected to fall any moment. Instead of finding a blade at his throat Leonardo was staring at the bloodied end of a katana emerging from the chest of a Foot ninja. The blade retracted with a wet sound and the warrior fell, boneless, to the floor.

Leo tensed and waited for the shape in the shadows to attack. He was staring into the darkness for several moments before the person moved out of the shadows. What Leo saw staggered him.

Clad in black from head to foot was the mysterious ninja that Mikey and Raph had seen. It wiped the blood off it's katana on the fallen Foot's clothing. Leo watched as the ninja straightened. His gaze was immediately drawn to the way the material stretched over its shoulders and chest and hugged its waist and hips. It was a girl!

Striking blue eyes watched him from within the black material hood. The mysterious '_Betty'_ nodded once and melded with the shadows.

Remembering the fight around him, Leo pushed the ninja to the back of his mind and went to help his brothers.

* * *

The Foot had fled when they realised that they weren't going to win. The fact that several were dead had probably facilitated their exit.

The turtles now stood on a battleground that looked nothing like the ones they usually saw. Bodies lay motionless across the floor, several had been piled on top of one another. Blood spattered across the floor, walls and plastrons.

Donatello pulled a shuriken out of Mikey's shell and Raph inspected a deep cut on his upper arm. Leonardo searched for 'Betty'. His gaze roamed over the fallen Foot and streams of blood. She was here somewhere, he could sense her.

One of the injured Foot ninjas began to move, slowly shifting away from a dead companion. The four turtles approached him carefully. The Foot still had a nunchaku in one hand and eyed them warily from beneath the red eye holes of his mask.

There was a small 'whoosh' of air as a silver dagger flew through the air and embedded itself into the Foot soldier's throat. The ninja gurgled slightly before his head dropped to one side.

Leo spun around to see where the dagger had come from. It was the ninja.

She stood on top of several crates. The katana she held was stained red and he could see shiny wet patches on her clothing where blood had sprayed. Her blue eyes were cold as she gazed down at them.

"Who are you?" Leo demanded, drawing the attention of his brothers. Betty didn't answer.

"Dude, it's Betty. I told you it was real."

"Mikey, she can hear you." Don pointed out in a low voice.

"She? Oh, wow! Betty's a girl!"

One of Betty's eyebrows went up and she looked down disdainfully.

"What are you doing here?"

"Kicking Foot ass." Mikey replied.

"Shut up Mikey." Raph ground out, his eyes narrow.

Betty's arm moved in one fast fluid movement, sending another knife through the air. The silver dart thudded into the top of Donatello's bo-staff. The four brothers stared at it as it vibrated faintly. A second one landed with a chink at their feet.

The ninja stood silently, waiting, it's eyes hooded.

Raph was the first to pull out his weapons, a growl coming from his throat. Betty's masked face remained still.

Leo and Mikey readied themselves for another fight while Don pulled the dart out of his staff.

"What do you want?" Leo demanded.

Betty's eyes narrowed and her body tensed. All four turtles tensed with her. Her arm flashed out and eight eyes watched a piece of paper float for a moment before it was stabbed and pinned to Don's bo near his head.

Leo's gaze whipped to where the ninja was. Her eye's crinkled as though she was smiling. The air around her suddenly exploded and turned to smoke. Leo's eye's widened as he stared at the now empty platform.

"Where did she go?" Mikey asked, breaking the silence.

"A better question is; what's in that note?" Leo replied. He turned to his brother, who had pulled the dart and paper off his bo. "What does it say Don?"

Donatello's eye's moved over the message. When he looked up his expression was worried.

"We're in trouble."

* * *

**Please review and let me know what you think. **


	4. Chapter 4

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Hi, it's been a long time I know and I'm sorry.

**Thank you to wolverine24 for reminding me that I hadn't posted anything for a while. I will try and add more regularly but I'm a slave to inspiration, I can only work when it helps me.**

**Well, enjoy and I'll try to make sure the next part won't be too far off.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 **

Ghost watched from the shadows as the brothers took turns at reading her message. Admittedly it gave away the main purpose of her mission, informing the targets that they had been marked.

But Karai's endeavour stank of revenge not justice, the one thing Ghost had always fought for. True, there were times in her past when Ghost had wanted to seek vengeance for the crimes she had seen committed but she had never acted on those impulses.

She had only ever killed for revenge once, at the behest of her master, and even though it had been exhilarating for those few moments she had felt tainted by the deed afterward. It wasn't something she wanted to do again.

Ghost could hear the four mutants arguing amongst themselves. Once again it was Red and Blue in the middle. Purple and Orange were standing to one side, not getting involved.

Ghost crept closer in an effort to hear what they were saying.

"Master Splinter needs to know." Blue said fact-of-factly.

"No he doesn't. We can take care of this ourselves." Red replied, snatching the letter from his brother.

"But Splinter might be able to tell us more about this Ghost." Blue commented.

"What's the point in makin' him worry when we can handle it?" Red argued.

Orange was bouncing lightly. "Did you see the way she fought? She took out thirteen Foot ninja all by herself. Thirteen!"

"She didn't just _'take them out'_; she killed them ruthlessly and piled them as if they were nothing but trash." Purple said with a hand on Orange's moving shoulder.

"I've never seen anyone fight the way she did." Ghost smiled proudly at Blue's words. "Whoever she trained under knew every aspect of ninjitsu. Her form was perfect."

"Well Leo, when you face her you can ask her on a date. Me, the next time I see her, she'll be sorry."

* * *

Keeping at least one of the turtles in her sights, Ghost followed them as they leapt and bounded through the city. The fight at the docks hadn't caused much injury to any of the turtles. The worst was the cut across Red's arm but he didn't seem to be faltering.

Following them through the city, Ghost had to utilise almost all of her skills to stay undetected. Once or twice she had almost been caught by a stray glance over a shoulder.

Crouching on a rooftop she kept track of her prey by sound alone. The soft pat of footfalls, the rustle of garbage as it was brushed aside, the loud screech of metal against concrete.

That jarred Ghost from her trance-like state. Peeking over the ledge she looked down into an empty alley. Confusion filled her and she made her way to the ground.

Where had they gone?

She searched every corner of the dark alley before recalling the sharp sound that had broken the turtle's otherwise stealthy journey. She looked around the area for anything that could have made the noise. Her eyes lighted on the manhole cover.

_So they lived in the sewers did they? How very appropriate._

Ghost pried the heavy metal away, careful not to make too much noise. The soft grating sound caused the small hairs on the back of her arms to stand on end.

When the hole was clear she stilled and waited for a sign that she had been detected. When no such sign was forthcoming she dropped down into the darkness. The space around her was like a wall of black, not even the light from above could penetrate it. It blinded her and choked her other senses.

Deciding that knowing the territory before instigating an encounter was best, she climbed back out of the sewer and replaced the cover. She would find a way to investigate her target's home before she launched her attack, there was no point in fighting if you didn't take advantage of every opportunity. Even if you had to create some yourself.

A buzzing went off at her hip distracting her. She withdrew a slim black pager. The number flashing at her was one she had become very familiar with over the last few weeks. Karai.

Pushing her frustration down, Ghost abandoned the deserted alleyway to pay a visit to her pissed off benefactor.

* * *

Karai waited impatiently in the central dojo of her top-level apartments. Her black eyes narrowed coldly when Ghost emerged from the shadows and bowed before her.

"You dare betray me?" Her voice was filled with suppressed rage.

Ghost rose from her knees and looked Karai full in the face. The assassin was taller than her but she didn't let that intimidate her, she _was_ the Shredder after all. Karai's fury made her face seem far more angular than it usually was.

"I was merely doing as you instructed." Ghost answered calmly.

"I ordered you to kill the turtles not my Foot ninja."

"Actually you told me to fight. You did not specify whom." The material over the mouth moved slightly.

"Did the Guild send me their stupidest warrior?" Karai demanded angrily.

Ghost did not flinch. "Had you been more specific I wouldn't have felt the need to destroy the competition."

"My ninja were there to help you."

Ghost's eye's narrowed. "You don't have faith in my skills?"

Karai's chin rose and she glared at the assassin. "I have faith in no-one but myself. They were there as back up should you have failed."

Ghost's voice lowered to a dangerous level. "I do not need help. And if you put anymore of your Foot in my way, no matter the number, they will all die"

"You're bluffing."

"Am I? Test me if you're willing to lose even more fighters."

Karai watched her silence. Ghost didn't particularly care what this new Shredder did as long as she didn't interfere with Ghost's mission or her targets. She could almost see Karai work the cogs of her brain.

Was it worth her commission to work for a woman like Karai? Ghost thought of the juicy bonus she would be getting at the end of this job. She controlled her smile. Yes, doing group hits was always worth the money, no matter whom she had to work for.

Karai eyed the unmoving assassin infront of her. Ghost's behaviour was insubordinate at best and traitorous at worst, but she couldn't deny that whoever was behind that mask was excellent at what she was being paid to do. Several reports from her ninjas at the warehouse had spoken of a mysterious warrior that had cut through her forces with devastating skill. The Foot soldiers naturally had thought that their long-time enemies had gained an ally, but Karai had known the truth. She had known all along that the Blood Guild couldn't be trusted. They served their own purposes and only played with those they had contracts with. Karai was sure she had seen only the tip of the iceberg in her deals with the Guild.

Still, having a member of the Blood Guild under her control, even temporarily, would give her an advantage over the other would-be warlords of New York City. The petty gangs and crime bosses that didn't already bow to her would soon feel the fury of her unrestricted forces. With Ghost demanding all the attention from the turtles, she could concentrate the Foot on finally conquering the sleepless city.

"From now the only ones you are to fight and kill are the turtles. Do you understand?"

"Of course Mistress but be warned, should any of your ninjas interfere they will be taken down."

Karai nodded and flicked her hand, dismissing Ghost.

* * *

Mikey yawned and stretched his arms over his head. All the way home, which Leo had decided to make even longer by going around Central Park, Leo and Raph had been arguing about whether of not to tell Splinter about Betty. Mikey thought that they should but kept his opinion to himself, he didn't want Raph promising any more sparring sessions. Mikey usually walked out of those with more bruises than brain-cells.

When they had finally gotten to the Lair Master Splinter had already gone to bed, leaving the brothers to keep fighting.

A loud chiming brought all the turtle's attention to Michelangelo, who was now searching his body for the source. Locating his Shell-cell, he answered.

"Talk to the turtle."

A softly pitched voice floated into his ear. "Hey Mike, wanna come round for a pizza party tomorrow?"

"Sure dudette. Do I have to bring the others or will it be just us two?" He joked.

A tinkling laugh followed. "Of course. It's not a party without people."

Mikey grinned and agreed. When he'd hung up he saw his brothers staring at him.

"Got a date Mikey?" Raph asked slyly.

"Nah. Just Sara inviting us over for pizza tomorrow."

"You gave her your number?" Leo asked incredulously.

Mikey nodded. "How else are we going to talk?"

"Mike, sometimes I swear you're not the same age as the rest of us." Leo shook his head.

"What?" Mikey asked bewildered.

Leo just shook his head again and moved away from their little group. Before he disappeared into his room he looked back over his shoulder.

"We will discuss this tomorrow. We'll also tell Master Splinter _everything_."

His three brothers were silent as he closed the door on them. Don turned to Raph.

"I'm surprised that you didn't try and debate that again Raph."

Raph shrugged. "You know what Leo's like. There's no fightin' with him when his mind's made up."

"So why do you do it?"

The red-banded turtle flashed him a grin. "'Cause it's fun."

Don shook his head as Raphael chuckled and left too, heading for the dojo and his punching bag. Mikey stood next to Donatello with a perplexed look.

"I don't get it?"

"Raph enjoys annoying Leo, just like you enjoying annoying Raph."

"No not that. I understand the joys of irritating others. But why doesn't Leo think I'm the same age as you guys?"

Don leaned back to look at his brother. Surely Mikey knew that Leo had been talking about unnecessarily exposing themselves to humans. From the expectant look on the orange-banded turtle's face, he didn't. Don smiled calmly and placed a hand on Michelangelo's shoulder.

"I'll tell you when you're older."

Ignoring Mikey's call to come back and explain, Don escaped to the quiet confines of his bedroom.

* * *

Raine climbed the stairs to her loft. Karma demanded that today be shitful, from her skirt getting coffee spilled on it to her computer glitching and printer jamming continuously. Raine cursed her luck and wished she hadn't stolen that other persons taxi this morning. She was now climbing the stairs because the elevator had broken, thanks to karma, in shoes that were designed to look pretty not practical.

Her feet ached as she finally gained her level. Her apartment was at the end of the corridor and she thought happily of a quiet evening with a hot bath and scented candles.

As she closed in on her front door she heard music and laughter. It looked as though karma hadn't finished screwing with her day.

Unlocking the door, she pushed it open to reveal her young sister surrounded by four tall muscular forms. In any other instance Raine would have been at Sara's side in seconds. But she was feeling less and less inclined to 'rescue' her sister the further she got into the apartment. Pizza boxes, empty and full, littered every surface with strings of gooey cheese trailing onto the floor. Leonardo caught her eye, his soft smile made her day seem a lot less tiring than it had been before she had walked through the door.

A gasp followed by splash of liquid hitting the wooden floor reminded Raine that she would be the one cleaning up after this gathering, that Sara had no doubt organised.

Raine didn't bother to hide the sigh of resignation that escaped her lips. Four heads turned. Sara jumped to her feet and hurried to her sister's side.

"Raine, don't get mad. You did say that we could see the turtles again."

Raine sighed again. She had agreed to Sara's request to see the mutants again but she hadn't thought that it would be without her knowledge. Was their appearance another karma-related punishment?

"When were you going to tell me that they were coming?"

"I thought you were going to be home on time." It was both an excuse and an accusation.

"And when did you invite them?"

"Yesterday." Sara had the good grace to look sheepish.

"Then why didn't you call or tell me this morning?"

"I spoke to Mikey while you were at work and by the time you got home you just collapsed into bed. And this morning you were out the door before I was even awake."

Raine nodded. She had gotten back late last night and left just after dawn that morning.

"Fine. Just save me a piece and I'll get changed."

Sara smiled sunnily and returned to the turtles.

Raine shook her head and disappeared into her bedroom. Stripping off the coffee stained skirt and crumpled shirt she hunted for her 'comfy clothes'. A soft pair of sweat-pants and a loose singlet.

Draping the clothes across her bed she set about pulling the evil panty-hose off her legs. The stretchy material had never been one of her favourite parts of corporate life but it had to be done. There was no way in hell she was walking into that office wearing suspender stockings.

Finally easing her sore body into the track-pants, thick socks and pulling her top over her head she heard a scraping knock on the door. Turning swiftly she saw one of the mutants standing in the doorway, his gaze noticeably lower than her face. Raine quickly jerked her top down to cover her chest.

"Hi."

The red-banded turtle snapped his eyes up to her face. "Hey. Uh, Mikey was about to demolish the last pizza. Thought you might like some before it disappeared." He held out a cheesy piece of pizza on a paper plate.

"Thanks…" Raine flushed as she searched her brain for his name.

"Raph." He replied as though reading her mind.

She would have sworn that her face was scarlet by the time she'd crossed the room and retrieved the pizza from his outstretched hand.

"Thanks Raphael."

"It's Raph."

Raine grinned and looked up at him from beneath her lashes. "Not if I want to mess with you."

A brow ridge rose. "You can try."

"Oh don't worry, I will." Raine promised and reached for him. Tugging his hand gently she led him back to the lounge.

* * *

**Please review, let me know what you think. Outside ideas always make the final outcome better.**

**TammyCat**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know I haven't touched this for a ridiculously long time, I'm sorry. Only recently has my brain ticked back into turtles-land and to celebrate this is a nice looong chapter.**

**Note:Language (Not everyone will consider it offensive but some do)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT or any affiliated with it.**

**

* * *

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**Chapter 5**

Ghost hovered over her security console. Soon enough the turtles would leave their lair for their nightly patrol and she could investigate.

She had been monitoring them for over two weeks now. For the first few days she had watched only the alley she had seen them disappear down. When they didn't appear again a thought had occurred and Ghost had berated herself for her stupidity. They had more than one entrance, just like she did. Cursing herself roundly, she had begun installing cameras at the other sewer entrances in the area.

Now she had a map of the city with little red dots marking all their exits. The overall pattern of the dots gave Ghost a good idea of where she would find their home; right in the middle of the large red circle.

Currently, she was waiting for them to appear and give her some time alone to search.

A blur of movement in camera 5 caught Ghost's attention. Two more green figures climbed out of the man-hole. She grinned, now was her chance. Pulling on her black tunic and tying her mask into place, she left her hideout and headed for the entry they had used that first night. It was time to see where her prey lived.

* * *

It was just dark when Ghost arrived at her entry point. Pulling a mobile phone out of her bag she called the only person whose number was in it. It rang for a moment before being picked up.

"Ghost?"

"I'm ready to go in. do you have a connection to my cameras?"

The voice chuckled. "I set them up, of course I do. How's the new den?"

"It's good. Having a place close to my targets is quite handy. Can you see me?"

There was a pause. "Yep. You're on camera 2. Hey, is that my duffel?"

Ghost smiled into the camera. "Yes it is."

"If you lose it again, you're buying me a new one."

"I always do. Keep an eye on those other cameras and let me know when they come back."

"Of course. I wouldn't be very good at my job if I let you get caught. Just remember, in and out. Don't do anything unnecessary until you have to."

"I never do. I wouldn't be a very good Ghost if I let people see me."

"Just be careful. Daniels out."

Ghost turned off the phone and returned it to the bag. In full view of the camera she placed her pager on her hip. If he needed to warn her he would get her that way.

Returning her attention to the task at hand she moved closer to the open hole. She had left the sewer cover off on a previous visit so it was easy and quiet when she dropped Daniels' small duffel into the hole. Following the bag down, she crouched in a shadowy corner and paused. When no sound came she stood again and rummaged through the bag. Locating her flashlight and map, she began looking around.

It was grimy and gross. Flitch clung to everything. Her femininity showed as she gazed around in distaste. Why couldn't she get a target that lived in a penthouse?

She chose a tunnel to the left and started walking.

* * *

Half an hour later and Ghost still hadn't been able to find the entrance to the turtle's lair. She had roamed every tunnel within her marked zone, nothing had looked like a door, and there was nothing out of the ordinary down there. Not that she spent enough time in sewers to know what was ordinary. That aside, either her estimations were off or they had hidden it somehow. A vibration on her hip distracted her for a moment. She unhooked it. DANIELS. The turtle's were back.

Hoping that the reptiles were using a different entry point, Ghost quickly made her way back to her exit. Normally she would hide and watch her targets in their unguarded moments, but then normally she was already inside their home. She couldn't afford to get caught tonight, so retreat was the wisest option.

Slipping through the shadows, Ghost kept her senses alert to any out of place noise, scent or movement. A light splashing caught her attention but was quickly disregarded when it turned out to be only rats.

Ghost was roughly fifty feet away from the exit when sounds to her left made her stop. The slight off-beat padding of footsteps and soft groans caused her to hide as several figures got closer. She recognised their voices as the distance separating them got smaller.

"Hey Leo." Michelangelo broke to relative silence. "Can we get a pizza?"

"No Mikey, you already had dinner, remember?"

"Heh, you expect that knuckle-head to remember anythin'." Raphael's rough voice answered. "He's lucky his brain ain't decorating the sidewalk. What little there is of it, that is."

"Stop it Raph, Michelangelo is injured. You can pick on him when he's healed again."

"Leo's right Mike, you should take it easy for a couple of days, at least until you can walk again."

Ghost's hand closed over one of her daggers as the group of mutants went past her hiding place. From her position she could see that one was being held up between two others. The fourth one walked infront, moving obstacles out of the way.

"Will I get better quickly Don? I have a date this Saturday."

"With who? Leatherhead?" Raphael laughed shortly.

"Very funny Raph. With Sara."

The turtles continued down the tunnel, oblivious to Ghost's presence. Deciding that this would be a good time to find out where the entrance to their lair was, she followed.

"What part of 'minimal exposure' do you not understand?" Leonardo asked impatiently.

"Chill out Leo, she already knows about us. Where's the harm in having another friend."

"I'm not sure I fully trust them yet, I don't want our family at risk."

Ghost smiled behind her mask. If only he knew how much danger he was really in.

"Sara and Raine couldn't be more trouble than we're already in." Raphael muttered.

"What was that?"

Ghost ducked into a recess in the wall to avoid being spotted as the one infront turned on the trio. "We have an assassin on out tails and you're worried about a human teenager? If anything, we're probably safer spendin' time with the humans than bein' on our own."

"You're forgetting that this Ghost, or whoever she is, cut down the Foot without blinking. They're trained and expecting a fight. Imagine what she could do to a pair of innocent civilians. There's no way for us to know if she would stop and not kill them, or just consider them collateral damage." Leonardo argued back.

Ghost found herself siding with Raphael. He was right that she wouldn't harm any humans they were with, he was wrong in thinking that being around them would be safer. She could comfortably, easily, execute her targets if they were in the centre of a crowd. She had done it before and would no doubt do it again.

"Guys, can we discuss this inside?" Donatello's calm voice cut through the tension. "Raph, could you get the door?"

Ghost's eyes searched the darkness infront of her for a clue as to how they entered their home. A slit of light appeared in the tunnel's wall, it grew until it illuminated the dingy sewer. Ghost pushed deeper into the shadows. The door was closing when she looked out again. A grain of admiration lodged in her. They were very clever, hiding their home in a way that was undetectable if you didn't know what to look for.

Satisfied that she had gathered enough data for the night, she placed a GPS tracker on the bricks next to her and turned her back on the hidden lair to make her way stealthily back to the alley. She would make her next move in a few days time.

* * *

Sara hurried through the apartment collecting the bits and pieces she usually had in her handbag. Why they were scattered all over the place she had no idea. She was aware of Raine's amusement as her older sister watched her over the top of a magazine.

Finally Sara felt she was ready. With one last check that her bag was closed and her jacket was on the hook by the door she felt satisfied. A light chuckle made her turn around. Raine wasn't trying to hide behind the magazine anymore, she was openly laughing.

"Why are you laughing at me?"

"I'm not, I'm laughing _with_ you."

"But I'm not laughing." Sara pointed out.

Raine's smile grew. "You will be when you realise you're still in your pyjama bottoms."

Sara looked down and let out a horrified cry. Instead of jeans she was wearing her hot pink satin pants. She must have grabbed them accidentally after her shower. Humiliation made blood rush to her cheeks as she fled to her bedroom.

* * *

Raine tamped down the chuckle in her throat. It hadn't been kind of her to laugh at Sara as she prepared to go out, but it had been too hard to resist. Watching her sister walking around the loft with her top half dressed and her bottom half ready for bed was more amusing than Raine had expected.

A soft tapping on her window had Raine tensing as she turned towards it. A pair of warm dark eyes looked back at her from the darkness outside. She sighed in relief and let go of the butter knife. She padded across the room and let the turtle in.

"Good evening Donatello. I wasn't expecting you so early."

The purple-banded brother smiled. "I got kicked out."

Raine's eye's widened. "Who would do that you? I thought you were the good one."

Donatello laughed. "It was Michelangelo actually. He wanted me to pick up Sara before Leo and Raph got back."

"Hey Donny," Sara called as she exited her bedroom, now wearing jeans. "Is Mike here too?"

"Wait, pick up? I though you were all coming here."

Sara looked up at her. "I told you Michelangelo was showing me the city tonight."

Raine blinked, she must have missed that part when Sara was explaining her plans. She could have sworn all she'd heard was 'Mikey's going to drop by.'

Donatello looked between them. "There's been a slight change of plans. Mikey got hurt earlier this week and wants you to visit him."

"In your home?" Raine asked.

"Yes."

"Excellent!" Sara cried.

Raine frowned. "Where do you live exactly?"

"Beneath the city."

Raine protective instincts went haywire. "Sara is not going into the sewers alone."

"I won't be alone, Don will be with me."

"I don't care. I'm coming with you."

Sara blinked. "Aren't you supposed to be meeting some guy tonight?"

Raine grabbed both their jackets. "He'll keep for another week."

* * *

Raine stepped carefully over something she couldn't distinguish properly. The dark of the sewers made her feel uneasy, maybe it was because she could hear the things scurrying around her but not see them. Sara clutched at her hand tightly as a creature squeaked behind them.

"Donatello, is this safe?"

"Of course. The lair is just up ahead."

"Lair? That sounds far less welcoming than I would hope." Sara said uncertainly.

"Actually it's kind of fitting. They're reptiles who live underground, hence, in a lair."

Donatello's chuckle floated back to them. "It's just through here."

He pulled on one of the pipes and a section of the tunnel wall slid open. He stood back and let Raine and Sara enter.

The inside was far nicer than either sister was expecting. The entrance led to a large circular living area. Various mismatched doors hid a multitude of rooms. An archway off to one side was shadowy and didn't show anything beyond. A second tier rose several feet above their heads, another set of doors could be seen beyond the railing. The ceiling of the 'lair' rose in a high dome. At the very top, a chandelier-like cluster of crystals poked through, giving off a dim light.

"Don, this place is amazing, and huge. Not quite was I was expecting."

Donatello grinned. "That's what we said when the realtor showed it to us."

"You came!" Michelangelo's happy cry came from a lounge.

Sara and Raine moved closer to the injured turtle. He sat reclining against a mound of pillows; his right foot was wrapped in bandages and propped up on a stool. Despite his injury, which Raine was sure he was playing up considering the massive grin on his face, Michelangelo greeted them warmly and patted the cushion next to him. Raine perched on the armrest with Sara in between her and the turtle.

"Mikey, are you okay?" Sara asked as soon as she sat down.

"Yeah, I just took a tumble."

"Off the side of a building and into a dumpster." Donatello finished.

Sara gasped and Raine's eyebrow went up. "At least it was a soft landing."

"Nope." Mikey replied. "The dumpster was empty. I tried to land properly but I caught the edge of the dumpster with my foot."

"He's just lucky his shell is thick."

Raine smothered a chuckle; she could just envision the scenario playing out. So much for being a mighty ninja. She looked up to see Don grinning back at her as if he knew what she was thinking. This was bound to be an entertaining visit, especially when Raphael made his appearance. He did like to tease his brothers.

That thought had Raine searching the lair for the two missing turtles. She remembered Donatello saying something about them being out but surely they'd be back by now.

"My sons are still patrolling the city."

Raine's gaze immediately tracked the voice. He eye's widened at the same time as Sara emitted a little gasp. Standing before them was a four-foot-something rat. Her brain rejected the sight; it wasn't possible for a rat to be that size. Then again, it shouldn't be possible for the turtle's to be as big as they were.

Its black eye's glittered with intelligence and Raine remembered its name from the stories that turtles had told them.

"You must be Master Splinter?" The rat nodded. "It's wonderful to finally meet you. The turtles talk about you all the time."

Splinter's pointed teeth showed as he smiled. "They speak of you as well, Miss Raine, Miss Sara."

Raine suppressed the pleasure his comment invoked. Now was not the time to have her head turned by perceived compliments. Her curiosity over the 'lair' still dominated her mind. But first she had something to take care of.

"Um Don, could you show me where your bathroom is?"

* * *

Raine wrenched open the wooden door and almost walked straight into an over-sized shell.

"Woah, watch it."

She looked up to see dark eyes and a red mask. "Sorry Raphael. I had a little trouble with the door."

His gaze moved to the doorway behind her. "Yeah, Mikey ran into it with his skateboard an' we haven't fixed it yet."

Raine chuckled and leaned against the railing, she looked down on the couch where the others sat. Sara's lips were moving the most but she could only just make her voice. "Can you hear what they're saying?"

"Yer sister's telling yer life story."

A wedge of unease appeared in her heart. "Well that ought to be interesting. Our lives haven't exactly been smooth sailing, not since our mother died."

* * *

Raph stared as Raine fell into a contemplative silence. He transferred his attention to the other human, interested in learning more about the girl standing next to him.

"I don't remember much about my mother. I was only four when she died, Raine was ten. It hit her harder than it did me."

Raph glanced at Raine, her brow was furrowed and her eyes were sad. Below them Sara continued.

"I remember being sad and crying but not much about her as a person, just that she used to smell nice. Our father didn't do too well during the first few months. Raine took over everything around the house because he couldn't. I remember his study door being closed a lot and occasionally I'd hear him crying and throwing things. Raine tried to protect me from most of what went on but she had so much to do. She took care of me and the house while at the same time keeping Dad together and going to school as well. It was tough on us all. As time went on he got better, eventually he even went on dates, that's when he met Jessica. I was six when he started seeing her. I thought she was great, she was so pretty and smart. Raine liked her too, I think. That changed later on."

She stopped to sip her drink. Raph turned to Raine. "Who's Jessica?"

"Our step-mother."

"Dad married Jess when I was seven." Sara smiled softly. "Their wedding was so beautiful. I was the flower-girl. Raine got to be a bridesmaid because she was older. It all went so perfectly, when they got back from their honeymoon it all seemed to fall apart. "

"What happened?" Mikey asked, obviously fascinated with the story.

"Did Jessica change?" Don asked.

Sara's head shook. "No, Raine did. She got really hostile towards Jessica. Jess said that Raine felt threatened because she no longer had control of the house and our father. I think Raine just didn't like Jessica."

"Why?" Leo asked when she stopped to drink again.

Sara shrugged. "I don't know. They just rubbed each other the wrong way. They started fighting, never when Dad or I was around, but I could always tell when they had. Afterwards, Raine would go quiet and Jessica would start talking about redecorating… That house changed a lot in a few years."

Raph was careful not to move as he surreptitiously watched Raine's reaction. Her body was frozen, tense. Her expression had closed down but Raph could still read the pain and sadness there.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

Her body jerked when he spoke, as if she wanted to run away. "I'm fine." Her voice was anything but steady. She breathed in deeply before turning to face him. "Is there somewhere quiet I can go? I don't particularly need to hear all this again."

"Yeah, sure." Raph showed her the archway that led to the dojo. "Just through there, watch your step. Do ya want a drink or somethin'?"

"Water, please." Raine's smile was forced as she disappeared.

Raph watched her go before turning back and jumping over the railing down to the lower floor. He kept an eye on the group around the couch, not wanting to disturb them.

He caught Leo watching him as he skirted them; his blue-banded brother cast a significant glance up to where he and Raine had been standing. Raph knew he was asking if Raine was all right. Damn Leo for being so observant, but then he had always been more aware of what was going on around him than his brothers. Raph shook his head to answer Leo; she's not talking.

He slipped into the kitchen before Leo could ask him anymore silent questions. As he searched for a glass, he heard the next part of Sara's story.

"I was eleven when they finally had a fight infront of Dad. He didn't know what was happening; they just came out of separate rooms and started yelling at each other. Jessica was yelling about Raine not helping around the house and not respecting her, and Raine was shouting back that Jessica had only married Dad for his money, that she didn't really care about what happened to either of us."

"Did your father do something?" Don asked.

"No. it was Jessica who gave Raine the ultimatum; either shape up or ship out."

Raph slowed the flow of water to hear the next part. Like his brothers, he was fascinated with Sara's tale of family drama. Nothing like this had ever happened within their small family.

"So as soon as Raine had graduated from high school she left."

"Where did she go?" Leo asked.

"All over the place. London, Paris, Italy, Japan, Australia, she sent me post-cards from all over the world. I still have them. She disappeared for five years. I didn't think she was ever going to come back. While she was gone, Jessica went back to being absolutely great. She was more of a friend than mother. Everything became a bit strained after Dad got sick. Then he died and Raine turned up on the doorstep a month later." She sobbed a little as though the loss still hurt. "I don't know how she knew what happened, we never had a way of contacting her. She never stayed in one place for long and the only times she called was on mine or Dad's birthday's."

Careful not to the spill the water, Raph hurried out of the kitchen and back to Raine. Sara was getting barraged with questions from his brothers so he didn't think that he'd miss anything. Their story would be the dinner conversation for a few days anyway.

The dojo was still dark when he entered. _Maybe she hasn't found the light switch_. He moved deeper into the room and heard the soft rasp of breathing above him. Raine was perched on the ledge with her feet dangling in the air. She didn't seem to notice him as he sat beside her.

"Here's yer water."

"Thank you."

Silence stretched between them for several seconds before she spoke.

"So, did you hear the rest of the story?"

"I heard a bit."

"Did she tell the part where I got all nasty towards Jessica? That's my favourite part."

"What's the deal with Jessica?"

Raine sighed. "Our father met her while he was still grieving for Mom. Sara thinks he moved on because he stopped having emotional outbursts. Only he was mourning silently. Anyway, one day he meets Jessica at work and they get along, next he's bringing her home to meet us. She was all warmth and smiles, she even brought candy, and I thought she might actually be good for Dad. Then I saw the way she studied everything in the house, as if she were deciding how much it would be worth. Sara adored her from day one, that was one of the reasons why I didn't say anything, and eventually Dad married her. I'm not sure when we started fighting but it always seemed to happen when Dad wasn't home. It started with little things we'd do to annoy each other. I could see her trying to separate us from our father, so I would super-glue her favourite shoes to the floor or spread the water from the pickles jar along the lining of her handbags. She knew it was me, even though she couldn't prove it. Eventually she got the message and stopped trying to be so sneaky; instead she would complain to Dad that I wasn't doing enough around the house and that I should get a job. I was fifteen at this point. Dad didn't like to be hard on us so he didn't push the issue. Whenever he wasn't home though, Jessica would push it for him. I stopped paying attention to her after a while, if I had been more attentive I would have noticed that she'd started picking on Sara."

"I'm guessin' you did somethin'?"

Raine shot him a proud look and nodded. "Of course. I called her a filthy, gold-digging whore, straight to her face."

Raph chuckled. "I bet she didn't like that."

"Not one bit. Her face went red then purple, then red again when she started breathing. She told me I was a lazy, good-for-nothing brat and that I was a terrible role-model for my sister. After that she spent most of her time turning Sara against me."

"Did it work?"

"Sure did, that's why Sara still likes the woman. She never understood why Jessica and I hated each other. I can look back now and see that I overreacted but she was a bitch and we both wanted control of the house."

"Sara said that you left."

"Yep. A month after I graduated. I started in Los Angeles and jetted to England, from there I went to Japan then back to London, jumped around Europe for a little, down to Johannesburg, across to Australia, back to Japan and then home to Boston."

"How were you able to pay for it? You were gone for five years."

Raine nodded. "I used my savings and inheritance for the first year. When I got to London, the second time, I got a job. I'd made some friends the first time and they gave me a place to stay and helped with getting my visas. Then I got a job as a personal assistant to Trevor Burnstead. He was a good guy."

"And he took you around the world?"

"No. I was headhunted about a year into the job. I moved on and started working for Ami Katsuragi, I travelled with her, she was on the Board of Directors for an electronics company."

"Do you still work for her?"

Raine's brow pinched. "Kind of. She died last year. I'm still with the company but I have a much less involved role. When I found out my father had died I immediately got transferred back to the States. I stopped in Boston just long enough to pick up Sara and visit his grave, and then I moved us out here."

"What happened to Jessica?"

Raine shrugged. "As far as I know, she's still living in the house with the money Dad left her."

Raph debated the wisdom of repeating his thoughts. But then, wisdom was never one of his strong points. "You don' seem too upset that your father died."

She blinked and stared at him. "I guess I'm not anymore. I cried when I first found out but nothing beyond that." She went back to staring into the darkness. "I guess I'm just a cold-hearted person."

Raph frowned but couldn't think of anything to say. He didn't believe that Raine was cold, he'd seen the way she tried to protect Sara and the affection she showed his brothers, but saying that and thinking it were very different things. If he told her, she might see more into it than he intended. He didn't even know what he intended, so it wouldn't be any good putting ideas into her head.

"Thank you for listening to me, Raphael. I've never told anyone that before, could we keep it between us? I'd rather not have everyone knowing my secrets."

"Sure, they're safe with me."

"Raine!" Sara called out. "It's after midnight."

Raine smiled and turned back to him. "I'll see you around, Raph." Her fingers caressed the side of his face before she disappeared.

Raph remained on the ledge, listening as Raine and Sara said their farewells to his brothers and left. The feeling of her fingers still on his cheek.

Leo entered the dojo. "Did Raine say anything? She looked upset."

"Nah, she didn't. Where's Don?"

"He's taking them back to their apartment, they don't know the way yet."

"Do you think we should be so friendly with them now that we have to deal with this Ghost?"

Leo frowned up at him. "Is something wrong, Raph? You're beginning to sound like me."

"Nothin's wrong. Raine and Sara could be a liability if the Ghost or Foot use them against us."

"Stress less, bro, we'll protect them like we do April and Casey."

"Yeah, yeah. Now who's soundin' like his brother."

When it became apparent that Raph wasn't going to say anymore Leo left the dojo.

Raph continued to stare into the darkness, thinking about what Raine had told him about her life. He still didn't know how he felt about her but whatever it was, it wasn't good for his inner calm.

* * *

Ghost crept through the tunnels leading to the mutants' lair. She had finally figured out how to get into their home when Daniels had informed her of security devices surrounding the entrance. The purple turtle had cameras and laser trip wires covering every inch of the sewers leading up to their front door. Now she had to find a way in that didn't set off any alarms.

She may have just found one.

A small, round hole high on a tunnel wall that seemed to come from within the lair.

Utilising a grappling hook, Ghost climbed to the ledge and noticed that she would be able to fit down the hole; anyone slightly bigger would have a problem.

Readjusting the hook, she lowered herself into the shaft. Letting the rope slide through her gloved hands, she tested the walls of the vent with her feet.

She slipped through an air vent in the ceiling. Ghost dropped between the wall and a stack of boxes. The room she was in seemed to be a storage area; random objects littered the room, what looked like a set of broken weights leaned against one wall, a hammock hung from the ceiling and an old mattress was on the floor. The room appeared green through the night-vision goggles she wore. Moving silently, she approached the door. It eased open; the lair was dark with occasional light coming from crystals in the wall. A sudden flash of light and blearing of sound caused Ghost to drop to the floor. Cautiously she moved towards the rail. Looking over the edge she saw that there was still someone awake, she ducked quickly back behind a column. The lone figure sat on a couch flipping channels on the wall of TV's.

_Which one are you?_ Ghost thought to herself as she darted between shadows trying to get a better look at the figure's face. As she made her way around the room she spied a rail-car sitting against a wall. Bingo!

The technology she needed was in there. Keeping the person in front of the televisions on her radar, Ghost slid down a column and slinked her way across the lair. Careful to remain in the shadows she skirted the living area and ducked into the train-car. Rummaging amongst the various gizmos and gadgets Ghost eventually found what she was looking for, nice and shiny on the workbench. _'This will make my job so much easier.'_ She thought as she slipped out of the train-car. Pushing the device into her belt Ghost headed for the room she had entered through.

The lair was dark, apparently whoever was watching TV had decided to go to bed, which was handy for Ghost. Feeling bold, Ghost marched directly across the living area passing the couch; a breath of air stirred the darkness. Ghost paused for a moment, a shiver flowing down her spine, whirling around Ghost found herself face to face with a turtle.

"Shit!" Ghost danced backwards and sprinted for her exit. The turtle followed.

"Hey guys! Wake up! We've got company." Doors opened on the floor above and the remaining three turtles flipped over the railing. Even Splinter had woken up at the yell and trundled out, the lights flashed on. Ghost barely managed to remove the night-vision glasses before she was blinded. Infront of her now was four irritated turtles, two didn't have their masks on and one still held the remote control. _Raphael. Damn! He's always so angry_.

"Hey, don't we know you?" One without his mask asked, he was leaning on a crutch.

"Yeah, you helped us kick Foot butt a week ago." Raph answered.

The other maskless one stepped forward. "What are you doing here?"

"That's mine!" Donatello had obviously seen the gadget in her belt.

Ghost debated her options; one: she could stay and fight all four mutants and the rat but that wasn't in the confines of her task, two: she could run and hope she got to the shaft before they caught her. Two had always been a favourite number.

"Not anymore." Ghost kept her voice low. She inched back towards a pillar. If she could get to the next level she'd be able to escape. "I've decided I like it."

"First you help us then you steal from us. That doesn't make sense."

Ghost decided not to answer. It was in her best interests if the mutants couldn't place her voice at a later time.

Darting to the side, she raced towards the injured turtle. He tried to dodge her but only succeeded in falling into Donatello. The pained cry echoed through the cavernous room but Ghost didn't stop to see what was happening behind her. The movements of the turtles were barely detectable, showing their stealth superbly.

Ghost knew she was at a severe disadvantage. She was on unfamiliar ground, surrounded by enemies and she had only a small window of time to reach her escape route. Things had been worse before, right?

She scaled a column in a matter of seconds and was running for the storage room. A shadow appeared on her right and she dodged, the sharp tip of a weapon scraped across her ribs. She retaliated with a roundhouse kick to her attackers' head. When her foot only passed through air she sent out a volley of throwing daggers. She was rewarded with a grunt of pain.

The success was dampened by the sight of a turtle standing between her and her exit. The bare-headed mutant glared at her, his sword glinting in the dim light.

"Why did you come here?"

Ghost didn't say a word. She had to get past him and she had to do it quickly, Donatello and Raphael were coming up behind her.

"I'd love to stay and chat but I have other arrangements." Ghost said on a husky whisper. She twitched her wrist and two smoke pellets fell into her hand. "Ciao."

The first pellet exploded against the floor and Ghost leapt into the air. She stepped on the turtle's head as he rushed forward and threw the second capsule against his shell. The cloud of smoke covered her escape into the storage room. She heard the turtles behind her as they cleared the smoke and followed her. Ghost was crawling out the end of the tunnel when their voices echoed up the tunnel from the room below.

"We lost her." Leo cursed. "I'll go see if I can find where she came out."

"I didn't know you had a vent in your room." Don commented.

Raph grunted. "Neither did I."

Ghost smiled and slinked away from the vent, picking up her bag along the way.

By the time she reached the surface she was hyper with success. Not only had she invaded her target's home but she'd ensured that they'd come after her. A very good night's work.

In her hideout Ghost removed her signature gear and cleaned up the shallow slice along her ribs before she turned back into her alternate self. The everyday girl that lived a 'normal' life.

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**TammyCat xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Once again, it's been a while since I've touched this but its moving faster now and more should be up quickly.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Donatello rummaged through his laboratory searching for the second part of the machine Ghost had stolen. Outside he could hear Leo and Raph arguing, it wasn't unusual so Don blocked it out. The missing tech was more important to him anyway, he was glad it had a tracking device built into it.

Mikey crept into the traincar. "Hey dude."

"Have they stopped fighting yet?"

"Nope. Did you find that thing you were looking for?

"Yeah." He lifted up the receiver. "I should be able to pick up its gps signal with this."

"Do you think Master Splinter will stop them?"

Don turned on the machine. "If he doesn't, giving them a chance to find Ghost will."

Don and Mike exited the lab to see Raphael and Leonardo glaring at each other and Master Splinter standing to the side watching.

Don stepped forward. "I can find Ghost."

The room went quiet.

"Very god, Donatello." Splinter said. "A welcome solution to this noise."

Leo looked down, Raph continued to glare. "What are we waiting for?"

* * *

The rooftops passed quickly under them as they headed for the gps signal. The signal was strong and came from a warehouse next to the river. A part of Don thought it was too easy but the tracking device wasn't visible and Ghost wouldn't have known about it, it was new technology April had picked up for him at one of her jobs.

A dull throbbing pain in his foot slowed Don down a bit. He stopped for a moment to check what was causing the pain. A frown crossed his face when he saw a thin needle sticking out of his ankle. He pulled it out and the ache immediately stopped.

A sixth sense told Don that Ghost was nearby. He turned and saw her step out from the shadows. Like before she was dressed all in black with a full face mask. Only her eyes were visible.

"Good evening, Donatello."

"Hello, Ghost." He held up the needle. "Acupuncture, very clever."

"Thank you." She smiled as she walked forward, slipping her katana from its' sheath. "Don't bother calling for your brothers. By the time they come back, we'll be done."

Don nodded and gripped his bo firmly. "I'm ready when you are."

The black-clad head shook. "I have one rule. One on one combat. No assistance."

"Is that why you killed the Foot at the docks?"

"Yes, Ghosts of the Blood Guild need no help. If a warrior can best us in honourable combat then they deserve to live. Should you kill me, the contract will be void."

Don frowned. "I have to kill you to free my family?"

"Something like that."

Before he had a chance to reply she pushed forward and attacked. The katana came down hard, shaking up his arms. The first shock passed and Don relaxed into his training.

The next few minutes were a blur of movement and tension feet, bo, fists and blade all made up a part of the dangerous dance. Her foot lashed out as she spun, catching him across the head. The world went blurry for a moment but he was mostly able to block her next attack. He felt the blade cut into his plastron and was glad for the protection.

His staff thudded against her softer body several times and Don was inclined to apologise even though she'd sworn to kill his family. He felt his foot hit a ledge and jumped up, using the height to his advantage.

Ghost knew that the turtle would make her work for a victory. She didn't like to use head blows, it was cheating in her eyes. But, given her opponents natural armour, Ghost felt she could relax her rule for this contract.

Her katana was blocked and she swung around, trying to catch his leg. She felt the resistance of flesh at the same time his bo caught her across the chest and side, pushing the air from her body.

They paused. Donatello leaned heavily on his staff while Ghost was bent over trying to get oxygen back into her lungs. She could see dark stains on the wooden bo and knew it was her blood. Past experiences had taught her that even a blunt wooden weapon could break the skin. She didn't doubt that she'd have plenty of cuts and bruises after tonight's encounter.

The turtle went down to one knee in front of her. Ghost would have pushed her advantage if she had one. She was still coughing air.

Don could feel the blood running down his leg. The pain was powerful and he thought she might have severed a tendon or two. If he was right that would be very bad news for him.

Using his bo for stability, Don stood and kicked the assassin in the chest, sending her stumbling back a few steps.

"Don!" a shout came from several rooftops away. His brothers had arrived.

Donatello saw his opponent's eyes dart around and calculate. Her gaze hardened and she came at him harder. It seemed that for every blow he blocked another would strike seconds later. The pain and loss of blood made fighting a lot more difficult than before. The blood had managed to get under his foot, unbalancing him further.

"Don, we're here." He heard Leo shout.

He blocked Ghost's katana as it came down over his head. "Stay where you are. Don't help me."

"Why?" Raph demanded.

"It has to be one-on-one combat." Don called.

Approval shone for a moment in Ghost's eyes. Then she shifted her weight and kicked him in the leg.

The pain was amazing and Don's grip wavered. The red tinged tip of her blade was almost at his throat when he managed to push her off him, a reflexive attack hit her in the side. They were fighting along the edge of the building now, one misstep and they would fall seven stories to the ground below.

Ghost, knocked backwards by Donatello's attack, stepped out into open air. Don could see what was about to happen and stretched his bo out to her. Her hand shot forward and grabbed the end of the staff. She perched there, half hanging off the building, her eyes smiled.

"You win, Donatello. I will not hunt you anymore."

"Why? You're not dead?"

"If I had fallen I would be. You intervened, you shouldn't have." She regained her footing and looked down at the alley under her. "You should have let me fall. Your family would be safe then."

"You said, if I won you wouldn't hunt us anymore."

"I won't attack _you_ anymore, Donatello. But I still have contracts for the rest of your brothers." She winked and let go of the staff.

Don ran the ledge in time to see her grab a powerline and save herself from becoming a pavement decoration.

He turned and slumped against the rooftop as the blood loss and weariness claimed his strength. Immediately he was surrounded by his brothers. He could hear them talking around him but didn't absorb any of it.

"We've gotta get him home. He's bleeding too much."

The lifted him carefully but pain still managed to spike through his body. Mercifully he blacked out.

* * *

**Please review, I really appreciate it.**

**TammyCat**


	7. Chapter 7

**It's been a while since I've been able to actually sit down and do some proper work on this story. This one is short but the next one isn't.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Raine limped through the door, her whole body aching.

"Raine!" Sara jumped off the couch. "Where have you been?"

She looked at the clock. 11:15? Where had the time gone?...Oh yeah.

"Sorry, Sara. I didn't mean to be late. I hope you weren't worried."

Her younger sister pursed her lips. "I was. You've been on time recently. Where've you been?"

Raine shrugged, trying to think of something other than the truth. "I had some stuff to do for work."

Sara crossed her arms and frowned. "You could have called."

Raine shrugged again and felt a sharp pain along her back. "I'm sorry, Sara. How about I get Chinese for dinner to make it up to you?" Chinese was Sara's favourite.

The frown disappeared quickly. "Okay. Let me call the turtles and let them know I won't be visiting."

"If you had plans I won't get in the way." Raine said even as she thought. _I doubt the turtles want visitors at the moment._

"No." Sara shook her head. "I'd like to just hang out with my sister for a night."

Raine smiled. "You order whatever you want while I get changed, okay?"

She escaped into her bedroom and slowly pulled off her clothes. Patches of dark purple and sickly yellow covered her body. The worst were along her side. Dried blood laced her ribs ad from the way they felt, at least one was cracked. Thankfully the lights had been dim and Sara hadn't noticed any discoloration on her face and neck. She reached for the heavy duty makeup before returning to the lounge.

They were sitting on the couch with a mix of honey chicken, sweet and sour beef, teriyaki pork and fried rice on their plates half an hour later.

"So, what's new in your world, sweetie?"

Sara shrugged. "School's good. I'm really tired though."

"That's because you stay up late with the turtles." Raine commented.

"You spend more time with them than I do. I like the turtles but they're not guys, you know?" Sara grinned cheekily. "There's this guy at school, Brian. He's so cute."

Raine smiled at the reminder that her sister was only sixteen. It was nice to see that look back on her face

Sara's comment about the turtles unnerved her to a point. Of course they weren't human, that was obvious, but they weren't inhuman either. She'd seen facets in their personalities that made them seem more human than some people she'd known. Leonardo was strong and wise. So sure in his duty and honour Donatello was smart, ridiculously so. He had an innate kindness in him that was calming. Michelangelo had the most amazing sense of enjoyment of life, she'd love to be able to see the world through his eyes. Raphael was...

Raine leaned back against the couch. Raphael was a puzzle. He was temperamental and violent, passionate about his family and beliefs. It didn't escape Raine that he was also very protective and caring, a trait he kept hidden under a mask of obstinacy.

Why she was thinking about him, she had no idea. Like Sara said, they weren't men. They were more. She didn't like that Raphael seemed to live in her dreams. It was bad for her emotional stability.

Sara's hand waved in front of her face. "Raine? Hello, are you there?"

Raine smiled, pushing her thoughts away. "Sorry, I was miles away."

"Yeah and by the look on your face, with someone." Sara looked at her slyly. "Is it someone I know?"

Raine scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. I wasn't thinking of anyone."

"Yes you were. You can't lie to me, you're a terrible liar."

_You have no idea_. Raine thought dryly. "It's nothing really."

"So I do know them and you don't want me to know about it."

"Stop trying to analyse me."

Sara grinned. "I bet I know who it is."

"I bet you don't." Raine said with a degree of certainty, not even she would have guessed that she'd have feelings for Raph. The thought rattled her to her bones, leaving her cold.

"It's one of the guys isn't it?"  
"I thought you said they weren't guys." She quipped.

"They're not regular guys but they're male and you're weird. I can't imagine it'd be Mikey or Raph. I'm leaning towards Don. You like smart guys."

Raine blushed and dropped her head. "I don't have feelings for _Don_."

Sara bounced on the cushions. "Aha! So you do like one of them. Who is it?"

Raine shook her head. How had she let her little sister pull so much information out of her? "It doesn't matter. Nothing can happen."

"Why? Because they're not normal? We're not exactly the average family either."

Raine stared at her sister, astonished by her open-mindedness. The little kid she'd left behind had turned into a mature young woman. "What should I do?"

Sara looked thoughtful "I can do some digging and feel out what I can."

"Thank you, Sara." She said, touched by her sister's offer.

"I'd like to see you happy." Sara cuddled close. "Now what shall we watch?"

Raine smiled and hugged her sister. They stayed on the couch watching movies until the early morning.

* * *

_Two days later_

Ghost sat on the edge of a building, her feet dangling over the side. The night was full of the city's sounds yet strangely quiet from her spot.

Ghost had come out tonight to think, not hunt. Her campaign against the mutants wasn't going quite as well as she'd hoped. If circumstances had been better she could have taken them out within a week or two. But circumstances were not perfect. In fact things were very bad. Raine and Sara were getting very close to the turtles and she couldn't stop it. A part of her didn't want to. Ghost knew which part and it was emotionally involved now.

She considered removing herself from the contract but knew she couldn't, in good conscience, stand aside and let the turtle be murdered.

Certain that she was alone; Ghost broke protocol and removed her mask. Her hair streamed out behind her like a pale fan.

The cool air felt nice against her face and had a calming effect on her brain, allowing her to think.

It was clear that she wouldn't be able to finish the assignment to the necessary standard. She should contact the Guild and have them send someone to replace her. If she did stay and complete the assignment to standard she'd have to face the consequences of killing someone who was dear to her.

Ghost dropped her head into her hands, wanting to cry and rage, needing a way out of her situation. If she were more like her mentor she'd be able to separate the different parts of her life and shut out emotion.

The cell phone on her hip buzzed silently. The caller id said HOME. Ghost sighed and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey sis. It's getting late, where are you?"

Ghost looked down at the sword in her lap. "I'm on a date sweetie."

"Oooh, did that guy at work ask you out? You have to tell me everything when you get home."

She smiled. "I will. What are you doing tonight, considering its Friday?"

"I'm going to the lair. Master Splinter said he'd teach me some karate. How cool is that?"

"Very cool, I wish I'd had a giant rat to teach me. Have a good night, Sara, make sure you're home by one and tell me all about it all right?"

"Okay. Catch you later."

Ghost disconnected to the feeling that her two lives were becoming even more tangled.

* * *

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**TammyCat**


	8. Chapter 8

**Belated Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful night, and those of us who are allowed to, a drunken one :)**

**666CrescentMoonDemon666: I had thought of that :) I made sure Ghost and Raine were never mentioned in the same place at the same time or that there was enough time inbetween appearances to allow a change.**

**Thank you for the reviews :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 8

Raine walked up the last set of stairs that led to her apartment. One day the elevator would stop randomly breaking down and she wouldn't have to climb twenty-seven flights of stairs. The ankle-breaking shoes she had on didn't help.

Once again she could hear voices inside her apartment before she opened the door. The turtles were back. She pushed away the excitement/annoyance she felt.

The sound of something breaking welcomed her as she closed her eyes and opened the door.

"What have you done now?" Raine asked without opening her eyes.

"Sorry Raine." Don's soft voice was apologetic. "My crutch got caught. I'll replace it."

She peeked and held back a sigh. A vase she had bought in London was now in pieces on the floor, along with the flowers it had held.

"Don't stress Don. I'll take a trip and find another." _I'll have to once this is all over and done with._

Sara came out of the kitchen. "Don, you shouldn't be standing. Leo said your leg wasn't healed enough yet."

"I told him that." Don grumbled.

Raine waved hello to Sara and escaped to her bedroom. It was the third time this week that Donatello had been delivered to their fire-escape while his brothers went out on patrol. They hadn't been allowed to see him for a week after his encounter with the assassin, now he was here constantly. When she'd asked why he didn't stay home where it was safe and less stressful on his leg she got told it was for her and Sara's protection.

Raine pulled back a hidden panel in the back of her wardrobe. A small collection of shining blades gleamed at her, the Blood Guild symbol on each hilt. She snorted, as if she needed a crippled mutant to protect her family. Especially the mutant she had crippled.

She replaced the panel and returned to the main room.

"So Don, where are your brothers tonight?"

"Training circuit."

She dropped down onto the couch across from him. "Chasing the bad guys again, you mean."

Donatello smiled uneasily but didn't answer.

Raine changed topics. "How bad were you originally?"

"Apparently I was unconscious for a day. Luckily I didn't have a concussion. My wrist is fractured." He lifted his still plastered hand. "She cut through my leg; thankfully I'm still able to move around. If she'd had more power behind her attack I think she would have cut down to the bone. Plus the numerous cuts and slashes across my shell."

Raine shook her head. "Thank god for that shell."

"Yeah." Sara agreed.

"How long before you're healed enough to go with them?" Raine asked.

"I'm not sure. I still have a long way to go."

She nodded. It didn't suit her plans that her remaining targets were exposed and she wasn't able to take advantage of it. The vigilante nature of the mutants made them dangerous targets on top of being highly skilled at stealth and combat.

Now that the turtles were roaming the city again, Ghost would have to make her move. Since her confrontation with Donatello, Raine had been keeping a low profile, avoiding the chance of detection. The question was, were they searching for her or just trouble?

There was only one way to find out.

Raine pushed to her feet and grabbed the small backpack from her wardrobe. "If you two will be fine here for a little while, I'm going to drop past the store."

Sara nodded happily and waved. The look she received from Don told her that she wasn't leaving without suspicion.

Keeping a carefully neutral expression on her face, Raine went up the stairs instead of down. She paused outside an apartment on the floor above hers. She knocked.

"Daniels?"

The door opened a crack and she could see light reflecting off his glasses in the dark interior. "What are you doing?"

"Hunting. I need a mask."

The door closed and she could hear shuffling from inside. The door opened as far as the security chain would allow it. "Here. I want my duffel back."

Raine smiled. "I'll leave it on your window when I can."

She caught the tiniest of smirks and the door shut again. She stuffed the hood in her bag and continued up to the roof. Daniels was the only person in the world who knew both her identities. He kept a close eye on her and had access to bountiful information, she was sure some of his sources were illegal.

On the roof she changed into the short black dress and leggings she kept in case her usual outfit wasn't available, and right now she didn't have time to go to her nest and retrieve it.

The soft material of her mask kept the cool night air off her face. Black gloves and soft flat boots with special gripping soles finished the ensemble.

Satisfied that she was disguised enough Raine, now Ghost, launched herself off the building and began her search.

Six blocks north she heard the unmistakable sound of fighting. The loud grunts and cursing told her it was serious. Ghost crept over to the ledge and peeked over. The alley below was teaming with swift moving shadows. The recognizable blonde hair and mammoth size indicated that Hun was there. A flash of green told her who the other combatants were.

Deciding on a course of action, Ghost slinked to the far side of the roof and descended to street level. She removed the hood and shoved it into the bag while pulling out a bright red belt and tying it loosely around her waist.

She casually walked around to where a couple of Purple Dragon thugs were waiting, obviously keeping anyone from interrupting whatever Hun was up to. The street wasn't brightly lit as others were and Raine pretended she hadn't seen the gang members until she bumped into one.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. It's so dark I can't see properly."

The thug glared down at her. "Watch where you're going."

Raine nodded and ducked around them into the alleyway. They shouted for her to stop and chased her into the shadows. A hand clamped onto her arm and Raine let out a small scream.

"Let go of me!"

The second Dragon grabbed her other arm. "Shut up. What the hell do you think you're doing bitch? This is private business."

Shouting came towards them. "What's going on? Oh my god, are you thieves?" She started to struggle and the Purple Dragons swore. She hated playing the innocent victim but in this case, she had to.

"We can't let her go. Let's take her to Hun." The first thug said.

The second must have agreed because the next moment Raine was being propelled towards the fighting. Clearly her two escorts didn't know what they were about to walk into otherwise they wouldn't be so calm.

The alley widened and she could see the fighting shadows. The men holding her arms withdrew knives and she was thrust into the arms of thug number one, blade pressed to her throat.

Raine's focus wasn't on the weapon but on the scene in front of her. Every now and then she would see a flash of colour as someone stepped through the small band of light coming from above.

She couldn't question the turtles while they were fighting so she grabbed her assailant's wrist and fought back.

* * *

Mikey paused as his opponent dropped to the ground. His gaze moving to check on his brothers, even though they were one down they were easily handling the Purple Dragons. Leo had Hun to himself while ha and Raph tackled the small army of goons.

Mike was closest to the alley entrance when the three new figures appeared. It took him a moment to realize it wasn't three more gang members; the smaller struggling body gave them away.

He flipped over to Leo. Hun was momentarily stunned by a kick to the head so Mikey had a minute. "Hey Leo, looks like our buddies brought an unwilling audience." He pointed to the people.

Leo frowned. "Try and get them out of here asap. I don't want civilians harmed."

Mikey nodded and hurried away as Hun get back to his feet. Raph dropped one of his enemies into Michelangelo's path.

"Takin' a break, Mikey?"

"Nah, I get to rescue a damsel in distress." He pointed again. The pair were struggling again, moving across the alley.

"Dude, that ain't no damsel. That's Raine." Raph said just before he took off.

Mikey frowned but was quickly distracted as a pipe came towards him. Leaving Raine's rescue to Raph now, Mikey focused on the Purple Dragon aiming at his head.

* * *

Raine broke the man's hold and flipped around, forcing his hand into an unnatural and painful position. He cried out and dropped the knife. Before it could hit the ground Raine caught it with her foot and kicked it back up and into her hand. The blade sliced across her arm and hand as it closed. The pain registered dimly. Armed now, Raine kicked the man in the stomach; he stumbled backwards and was swiftly beaten over the head by a green fist.

Raine's eyes searched the darkness until Raphael became visible. His hands came up and grabbed her shoulders.

"What are you doing here? What were you thinking?" He demanded with a shake.

"Can the interrogation wait for later? I think there are more bad guys."

Raph swore but didn't let her go. Instead he wrapped one arm around her and brought his second one up in a defensive manner.

"I have a knife, let me help."

"No."

Four Purple dragons approached them. "Don't be stupid, Raph. You can't fight four of them _and_ hold onto me. I have a black belt, let me help."

She could see the indecision on his face. It went against everything he'd been taught to let a civilian fight. Raine made the decision easy, she moved away from Raph's restrictive arm and rushed one of the Dragons. The knife she'd grabbed from her captor was terrible. It was unbalanced and the handle was painfully ridged. The blood running down her arm and into her palm weren't helping either.

Her opponent moved quickly and struck towards her throat. Raine parried and darted under his arm. The man was at least a foot taller and fifty pounds heavier but she wasn't intimidated….well not very intimidated.

Raine could hear Raph off to her left as he fought the other three Dragons. A quick hiss of pain broke through her concentration and she looked around. A sharp pain in her arm brought her back.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid_. Chanted through her mind as she skipped backwards. _Shouldn't have taken my attention away, not even for a moment._

Raine dropped her arm and wrapped her free hand around the wound, testing how bad it was. Her hand came away bloody and pain radiated out. _Shit, it was deep_.

Her attacker came forward again. Raine dodged and rolled across the dirty alley. The man followed her but was brought down by a blow to the head.

"Raine, are you okay?" Mikey asked, holding out a hand.

Raine grabbed it and stood. The Purple Dragons were unconscious lumps around them, Hun was nowhere to be seen. Raph and Leo were quickly at her side.

Raph grabbed her upper arms again, the pressure on her fresh wound made Raine cry out. He cursed and softened his grip.

"Damn it, Raine. How bad are you hurt?"

"Not bad. I'll be fine." She shrugged, causing pain to shoot through her arm and shoulder. Her gaze slid down to a spreading wetness on his chest. "Shit, Raph. How bad are you hurt?"

"I've been worse."

Leo pushed between them and inspected Raph's gash. "Come on, we should get both of you home and look at those cuts." He said.

Raine nodded. It bruised her ego to play the fair maiden in front of the guys but it was the role she'd adopted. The angry/concerned friend was also her part.

"What was going on guys? Were you looking for trouble, because you found it."

"The Purple Dragons aren't a problem." Mikey said cockily.

Raine poked him in the chest. "I wasn't talking about them. I was talking about me. What the hell were you doing fighting them?"

"It has to be done, Raine." Leonardo stepped in. "The city must be kept safe."

"You have an injured brother who needs your care, not dumped on my couch so you can go play vigilante." She threw up her good arm and stormed off. The part of her that had come to care for the brothers was angry with them for disregarding Donatello's health for their own interests.

She could hear them behind her but didn't slow down until she hit the street, the lights keeping the turtles back like some fairytale monster. Her anger simmered for the whole walk home. If she had been focused on Ghost and the assignment, tonight would have been a perfect chance to rid herself of one of the mutants but she was sure they were watching her now and there wouldn't be a way for her to transform into her alternate persona.

Her apartment building came into view and Raine cursed remembering all the stairs she had to climb now. The doorman let her in with a curious expression, he'd let her in earlier as well but she hadn't left via the front door. The fifty she slipped into his hand ensured that discretion would be employed.

Unwilling to climb all those stairs again, Raine climbed one flight and made sure no one could see her before opening the elevator doors. Scaling the dark shaft was going to be dangerous but Raine knew just where to place her hands and feet, it was also quicker than using the stairs. Along moving was made harder by her injuries but within a matter of minutes Raine was pushing the doors open on the floor below hers. She quickly slithered out and hurried up to her apartment.

Sara was standing in the doorway watching the stairs and Raine was glad she hadn't gotten out on their level. Her sister almost ran to her, concern etched all over her face.

"Raine! Leo said you got hurt in a fight. You were only meant to go to the shops."

"Sorry, Sara." Raine let Sara push a shoulder under her arm.

Her little sister frowned. "Just because you don't like your job doesn't mean you should fight gangs on the side to make yourself feel better."

Raine blinked and stared down at her sister. Where had that knowledge come from? She didn't get a chance to question Sara since they'd made it back to the apartment. Clearly she'd have to be more careful in what she said and did around Sara, perceptive little thing that she was.

The turtles were spread out around the apartment. Leo stepped forward, his hands full with first-aid supplies. Don and Mikey shared worried expressions, Raph's was more accusatory, his shoulder was already wrapped up. They pushed Raine onto the seat opposite Don and removed her dress. Raine protested to being half naked in a room full of people but Sara countered with, "You're wearing underwear. Think of it like being at the beach in your bikini." Thankfully the turtles had the decency to turn away, except for Leo as he was working on her arm.

The sleeve of the dress clung to the dried blood. Sara and Leo tried to ease it slowly away from her skin. Raine waved them away and gritted her teeth before ripping the material off. The wounds, kept shut by the dried blood and material, were suddenly dripping blood down her arm again.

Leo swore. "Raph said you only had the one cut. Sara, could you get more bandages and gauze?"

Raine looked down at her abused arm. Personally she was amazed she got away with only three wounds. Granted, one of them was deep but she usually had a few more scrapes from all the sneaking around she did in small spaces.

She shrugged. "I got the others before he showed up."

"I can't believe he let you fight." Leo muttered under his breath as he pressed gauze to the wound to stop the bleeding.

Raine looked directly into his dark eyes. "I didn't give him a choice. He did try to stop me."

Leo frowned but nodded and returned his attention to her arm. Raine stretched out her free arm and looked around her crowded loungeroom. Mikey and Don were talking, studiously trying not to look at them but she could see them occasionally shoot glances her way. Raph didn't bother to pretend he wasn't looking. His scowling face was focused on her arm. His muscles twitching as Leo cleaned out the deepest cut on her arm.

Surprisingly, Raine didn't feel the pain as her abused flesh was probed and pushed. All she could think about was the person in front of her, his dark eyes watching her so intently and the way that stare sent delicious shivers down her spine. Raine could feel heat flow up into her face.

As if he knew she was thinking about him Raph's gaze moved up to catch hers. Her breath stopped in her chest and didn't start again until Leo closed her arm with butterfly bandages. He was wrapping her lower arm and hand in clean bandages by the time Raine managed to get the rest of herself under control.

"There, all done. I think you should go to a hospital and have it looked at though." Leonardo said as he moved away.

Raine shook off her distraction. "No, I'm fine."

"You shouldn't have been out tonight."

"Neither should you." She challenged. "You have a responsibility to your brother. I can look after my sister and Master Splinter is teaching her self-defence anyway. We don't need you to watch over us when you have an assassin hunting you."

The turtles seemed a little taken aback and Raine took their shock as a chance to ushered them out of the apartment. Sara muttered a protest but Raine overruled her and kicked them out. She was tired and sore and now all she wanted to do was go to bed and sleep for days.

* * *

Ghost grumbled to herself as she entered Karai's dojo. She didn't like being summoned but she couldn't ignore her employer.

Karai knelt in front of her father's statue so Ghost waited in the shadows until her prayer was over. She moved into the light when the woman turned around.

"I've been waited for you, Ghost."

"Here I am."

Karai frowned. "My Foot tell me that the turtles are still alive."

Ghost had to tread carefully here. Karai wasn't familiar with Blood Guild protocols and probably wouldn't like or understand why she had to fight them one at a time.

"It takes time to successfully complete my assignment with the required discretion."

A dagger flew from Karai's fingers and thudded into a wooden dummy. "Don't let it take too much longer or my ninja will take apart this city and do it for you."

Ghost controlled her scowl and bowed before disappearing back into the shadows.

She scaled down the building, fear clashing with frustration making her move faster, each movement made her arm ache. Clearly Karai was losing patience and would send the Foot out in search of the mutants. Ghost had to step up her plans to both keep her reputation and avoid a massacre.

She paused on a rooftop in midtown and considered her options. She pulled out a dagger and flipped it between her fingers to help her think. Donatello was now off her radar, that left Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael. Her best bet was to take down Mike first. The attack on their family would make Leo and Raph angry and everyone made mistakes when they were angry. She'd then have to see which brother was alone first. Both Raph and Leo would be dangerous to fight last.

Ghost watched the moonlight glint off her blade and wished her life could be so beautiful and pure….and fleeting.

Disgusted with herself, Ghost slid the knife back into its sheath and stood. She had to get back into hiding, the mutants were hunting her and she couldn't afford to get caught right now.

She settled her mind. She'd finish hunting the turtles and give them a chance to survive and she'd do it within the month.

* * *

Mikey was bored, and everyone knew there was nothing more annoying than a bored Mikey.

Leo had escaped to the dojo and Raph had gone for a run through the city, leaving an injured Donatello stuck on the couch watching his brother flip around the room.

"Mikey, would you stop? You're making me dizzy." Don said as Michelangelo bounced past him for the sixth time.

"Sorry, dude. There's just nothing to do here."

"Go train with Leo or get a pizza."

"But then who will look after you?"

"Is that what you're doing?" Don asked dryly.

Mikey grinned. "Would you prefer I put on a candy stripers uniform?"

Dona shuddered at the mental image. "Please don't."

Silence fell and Don tried to concentrate on the wall of tv's. Heavily made up actors spoke at them.

"Maybe we could invite someone to visit?" Mikey suggested.

Don considered. "Perhaps, I haven't seen Leatherhead in a while…. Are April and Casey back yet?"

"Nope. Another two weeks. I was thinking of Raine and Sara."

Don chuckled. "Yeah, just what we need when the others get back, I don't think Raine's too happy with us at the moment. As it is, Raph himself doesn't engender a calm atmosphere."

Mikey nodded. "Put him in a room with them and he gets worse. Have you seen it?"

"Yeah, though I think it's more Raine than Sara."

Mike smiled. "Raph's hot for Raine?"

"Out of all of us Mikey, I thought you'd be the one to pick up on that first."

Michelangelo shrugged and started flipping again. He made it around the couch twice before stopping in front of Don.

"Should we say something?"

Donatello looked up. "To Raph? No probably not."

"How about Leo or Master Splinter?"

Don frowned and chewed on his lip, considering the possible outcomes.

* * *

**Please Review! If you have any questions or would like something particular to happen, I'd be happy to hear from you :)**

**TammyCat**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, sorry it's a bit later than expected. I've just gotten involved in a new relationship and job (go figure) but here it is and I'm working on finishing this, hopefully to your satisfaction :)**

**Enjoy :)**

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* * *

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Chapter 9

Raph growled as he paced the rooftop. Leo and Mikey were following with Don to make sure he didn't strain and reopen his injuries. Raph had been sent on ahead to check in with Raine and Sara that it was okay for them to leave Don there again while the other three did a training run/Ghost search.

Except Raphael hadn't left their rooftop yet, he hadn't even peeked to see if they were home. Something had affected him after they visited the lair and had worsened during the fight with the Purple Dragons. He hadn't been able to get the image of Raine trapped in the alley from his mind, with it came dreams of her that played along the line of erotic. Definitely things he shouldn't be dreaming of yet they came night after night for almost two weeks now. It didn't help that they seemed to spend quite a bit of time with the sisters.

Raph had actually started to feign injuries just to avoid her and what she did to him. To his frustration it didn't help.

Chiding himself as a coward, Raphael dropped down to the sister's apartment fire-escape. He could see them curled up on the couch together and suddenly wished he could be a part of that warm, happy picture. The desire concerned him.

Raph knocked on the window, Raine looked up and smiled. He felt his stomach drop.

Raine lifted the window high. "Hi Raphael, come inside."

The desire to do so was great. "I can't. I just came to say Don might need to cut tonight's training short and stay here." He said quickly, feeling strangely unlike himself.

Raine raised an eyebrow. "You came to tell us that we might have to look after Don for you again?

Raph shrugged, trying to regain his composure. "Ask, whatever. If he can't keep up that is."

Raine nodded slowly and climbed out onto the escape with him, closing the window behind her. "We'd be happy to keep Donny company." Raph's stomach plunged further when she added. "But only if you stay for a while."

Raph looked at her sceptically even as he wanted to say yes. "Don's not that bad. I'd think about it if it was Mikey."

Raine grabbed his arm. "Please….What if something happens?"

He laughed. "Don knows more than I do, he'll be able to take care of it."

She nodded and looked away. "Okay. Please don't be too long though, I'll order pizza."

Raph looked at her, she was practically radiating unease. "Is somethin' wrong?"

Raine shrugged. "I have this feeling that things are about to get really bad."

Raph frowned. "You'll be safe. I promise."

She scowled and placed her hands on his chest. "Don was injured fighting an assassin. An assassin that's gunning for your family. What makes you think it won't come back for him, or attack you?"

"I'm not scared of any Ghost, assassin or not."

She sighed. "Just be careful, please. I don't want you to get hurt."

Raph's eyes looked into hers and he saw a storm in them. He reached out and cupped her cheek. Her eyes widened but before he could say anything Leo dropped down next to them. Raph's hand immediately returned to his side and Raine turned away from them both. Raph felt the change dramatically.

Leo looked between them. "Is something wrong?"

Raine turned back, wiping at her eye. "No, just got a bit of dirt in my eye." She smiled and Raph felt his heart contract. "Sara and I would be glad to look after Donatello if he needs rest."

Leonardo nodded. "Thank you, he's still a bit off balance."

"No problem." She replied.

Not entirely sure what he was feeling and unable to properly deal with it in that moment, Raph ducked away and climbed up to where his other brothers were waiting.

Leo tried not to stare as Raine watched Raph's escape. What Don and Mikey suspected was obviously true. Leo had noticed a difference in Raphael. He was more surly than normal when it came to going topside. Merely mentioning the sisters would get him snarling. Mikey had once said something about Raine and Raph had almost put him through the wall. It had taken both Don and Leo to pull their furious brother away.

His attention and control during training was noticeably lacking as well, earning him plenty of new injuries. Leo was almost afraid to spar with Raph these days in case he accidentally killed him. Leonardo had been about to confront Raphael when Mike and Don had come to him with their suspicions about Raine. Given what he'd just seen, Leo was inclined to agree.

"How's your arm?"

"Mending. It still hurts but I'm a quick healer."

He paused before asking. "Raine, are you okay?"

She blinked. "Yeah, fine."

He nodded, not quite sure of what to say or if he should say anything at all. "It's just, since the fight with the Purple Dragons you've seemed different."

She shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you Leonardo, except that I'm fine."

Leo hesitated, wanting to do something to fix the imbalance in his family but not knowing how. In the end, he moved forward and helped Raine climb the fire-escape.

* * *

"Do they mind?" Donatello asked. Raph shook his head and Don relaxed.

"Hello, boys. It's good to see you out and about without the crutch, Don."

He smiled. "It's good to stand on my own."

"How's the leg coming?"

He shifted his weight and grimaced. "It still hurts but I have to exercise it."

Raine nodded. "I agree but I saw that wince. I still have that equipment inside, you can exercise it without pulling your stitches. And you shouldn't be using that hand at all."

Leo smiled. "Thank you, Raine. That might be good for you Don."

Raine beamed and held out her hand to Donatello. "How long will you guys be out for tonight?"

"We're looking for Ghost, so however long that takes."

A concerned look passed over her face. "Is that a good idea? She roughed up Don pretty bad, should you be looking for her?"

Don grinned. "I've told them that."

"I doubt she'd be out tonight anyway. It looks like it'll rain." Raine pointed up at the dark sky.

"We still have to try. She's dangerous." Leonardo replied.

"Obviously…Well, if you're quick I may have some pizza left over." She took Don by the hand and went back to her apartment.

Mikey bounced on his toes. "Pizza! Dudes, we don't need to be searching for Ghost. She'll find us. Don said so. Let's go inside and eat."

Leo sighed. "Michelangelo, we've been through this. We have a duty to make sure that the city is safe."

Mikey dropped his head. "Fine, but can we finish early and come back for pizza?"

"Possibly." Leo said with a slight smile.

Raph didn't feel like smiling as they leapt off the rooftop. It burned a spot in his heart to see Don take Raine's hand so easily. He knew he shouldn't be jealous but the feeling couldn't be helped. He was jealous of his brother,

* * *

Raine led Donatello into the living room. It was a lot warmer than outside and she snuggled into herself.

Don settled himself on the couch and Sara hovered over him. Raine went into the kitchen and dug out another glass. She paused for a moment before pulling out extra for the turtles when they got back.

"Hey, Sara. Give Benie's a call. Order extra."

"The usual?" Sara called back.

Raine replied affirmatively and heard the phone start to dial. Donatello limped into the kitchen.

"We'll have to start paying for some of this." He smiled. "Thank you."

Raine shrugged. "No stress, sweetie. Sara and I like having you guys around."

Don nodded and took the drink she offered. His wincing was minor.

"Any clue as to Ghost's real identity?" She sipped her drink.

"Nope. She's very mysterious. We're not even sure who hired her yet."

"Surely you don't have that many enemies."

Don shrugged. "We have a few."

"Which ones would be able to afford hiring an assassin?"

Before he got a chance to reply, Sara bounded into the room. "Pizza will be here in twenty."

"I don't think Leo will call off the hunt that soon." Don replied.

"Well then, we'll just have to keep it warm for them." Raine smiled and looked out the window.

* * *

Over an hour later Raph returned to the roof of Raine's building. It would be closer to say that he jumped and skidded across the rain-slick cement. Leo and Mikey's landing wasn't any better. Mikey picked himself up off the ground and adjusted his bandana.

"Do you think they still have pizza?"

Leo sighed. "Is that all you've been thinking about? We found no sign of Ghost."

"I didn't think we would." Mikey shrugged.

Raphael glared at his brothers. Couldn't they argue later? Right now all he wanted to do was collect Don and go home. Turning his back on them he slipped down to Raine and Sara's apartment and peeked in.

Don sat with Sara on the couch, plate on his lap. Sara was talking animatedly, using her hands a lot.

Raph scanned the room. Where was Raine? He could see into the kitchen and the bathroom was dark. He shifted across the side of the building, far enough that he could see part way into Raine's bedroom.

A shadow moved across the wall. It bent and straightened. A section separated and flew across the room. A hot flush spread up his neck as realization hit. She was getting undressed.

He quickly climbed back to the roof to see Leo and Mikey, heads close together, still talking. It was unlike Mike to hold onto something for this long, especially against Leo.

Thanking the cooling rain for getting rid of the heat in his face, Raph called out to them. "Can you two do this inside? If you hadn't noticed, it's still raining."

Leo frowned but nodded. The look he threw Michelangelo told Raph that the argument wasn't over. Mikey looked up and blinked as though he'd just noticed the rain. Raph shook his head and scaled down the ladder again. Pausing momentarily to gain some composure before knocking on the window.

Sara rushed to let them in. "Oh my god, you're soaked. Wait here." She disappeared.

Donatello looked up from the couch. "How was it?"

"Pointless." Raph growled.

Leo tried to keep the water from dripping onto the carpet. "We couldn't find her or any clue of where her nest is."

"Are you surprised?" Raine asked as she exited her bathroom towelling her hair dry. "Even assassins take nights like this off." She looked down at their feet and threw her towel at them. "You're soaking my carpet."

Raph caught the towel as Sara came back with a stack of her own. "Come on clean up and you can eat."

He wiped at his face and tried not to inhale too deeply. The towel still smelled like her.

Mikey pushed past him from behind to get to the towel and Raph wiped at his arms and chest. His brothers moved further into the room and Raph made himself comfortable near the window, leaning against a table. Mikey made the rounds with the cooling pizza, chatting away with Sara and Raine. Raph tried to play it cool but continuously found his eyes sliding towards Raine, watching her. His skin tightened when she smiled in his direction.

Eventually the turtles decided to leave. Don levered himself up using the couch and stretched out his leg. Leo opened the window and Mikey disappeared through it after giving them a jaunty wave. Don and Raph were close behind him.

"Thank you again. We'll see you soon."

Raine and Sara nodded and waved goodbye.

"That was fun." Sara said as she pulled the window shut.

"Yep." Raine replied.

"Don's feeling better."

"Yep."

"Mike's a blast."

"Yep"

"I have tentacles."

"Ok."

"Optimus Prime came into my room last night and raped me."

""That's nice."

Sara sighed and pushed her shoulder. "Raine. Wake up!"

"Huh? What?"

"Where are you?"

"Sorry. I was thinking."

"I noticed. What were you thinking about?"

Raine grimaced. "Nothing good."

Sara poked her in the side. "Come on Raine, you've been acting weird for a while now. What is it?"

She shrugged. "Nothing. I've just got a serious deadline at work."

Sara hugged her. "Well, don't stress over it."

Raine smiled and hugged her back, wishing she had the optimism for her younger sister.

**

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**

Please review, I'll love you :)

**Tammycat**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi guys, I'm so sorry it's taken me soooo long to upload but here is a chunky one for your enjoyment. I've hopefully gotten my writing bug back for a while.**

**Moon Eclipse Shadows: Thank you for such a comprehensive review :) I agree with a lot of what you said and all I can say is don't worry, things will work themselves out. For good or bad, I can't say just yet ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Leo led his brothers to the surface. He turned back to check on their progress. Mikey walked close behind Don and Raph brought up the rear.

"Don, are you sure you can handle it?"

Donatello nodded. "I need to at least try."

They paused underneath their exit to the streets. "If what Don said is true, then Ghost will only attack when we're alone."

"That would mean staying together would keep us safe." Mikey added.

Don nodded. "Theoretically. But we have to fight her to get her to leave. Once all of us have defeated her we'll be free."

"So, what's the plan?" Raph asked.

Leo shifted his feet. "We do the patrol like normal only we each take a different section of the city. If you come in contact with Ghost, set off the tracer on your Shellcell."

They agreed and took off for their designated zones.

* * *

Raph cursed as soon as he realized what was in his area. The sky seemed to agree with him as it began to thunder ominously. The last thing he needed right now was the temptation to be around Raine. He needed to keep his mind focused on finding and defeating Ghost. The assassin was bound to attack again soon, it had been almost a month since she'd attacked Don and he couldn't figure out why she was waiting. Maybe she was watching them, hoping to catch one alone. That's why tonight was planned; to lure Ghost out.

A thought made Raph stop and go cold. If Ghost had been watching them, she would know about Raine and Sara. Could Ghost be there now, watching the sisters, waiting for them?

He adjusted his trajectory and headed for the apartment. Why hadn't they realized that they were putting the sisters' in danger? He swore at himself and his brothers. They should know better by now.

He stopped on the rooftop and caught his breath. He searched the surrounding roofs for any sign of the assassin. He waited for several minutes, searching the area with his senses. When nothing caught his attention or raised any instinctive red flags he relaxed.

Suddenly he felt unsure, uncertain of his motives. Ghost wasn't here but he was. He had wanted to come here to see Raine, a part of his mind had wanted to be here. Ghost or not.

Now that he was here, only a short distance from the object of his desire Raph didn't want to leave without seeing her, talking to her.

* * *

Raine stood at her window, enjoying the smell of incoming rain. It had always been one of her favourite things. The scent of rain, fresh cut grass, and pine forests. The city may not be the place she'd want to call home forever but it still managed to produce some of the beautiful scents that she loved. Central Park was a brilliant place to visit, especially after a rainstorm.

Raine sipped at her glass of wine and luxuriated in the fact that she had the apartment to herself tonight. Sara was spending the night at a school friend's place and she wouldn't be back till tomorrow afternoon. God bless weekends, Raine smiled. Tonight she would drink her wine, eat some cheese and maybe do some online shopping. She would keep her mind clear of all the stresses in her life. It had been wrong and unprofessional to involve both sides of her life. The fear of them colliding was minimal to the repercussions that would rain down on her and everyone around her if it happened.

Just thinking about the possibility had Raine's heart speeding up and tension coiling in her stomach. The pure contradiction of her situation made her very uneasy.

She was leaning against the window, breathing in the scent (trying to calm herself) when she heard a noise from above her. That wouldn't have been odd normally except that the apartment above her was empty. The tenants had left two weeks ago and she'd made sure Daniel kept the apartment empty.

The noise came again and Raine crept out of the window and slowly up the ladder. She could hear muttering and cursing as she eased closer to the top. Peeking over the edge she saw Raph pacing. With a sigh of relief she climbed over the ledge.

"Raphael?" He turned with a start. "What are you doing?"

"Err…I was just going to check if you and Sara were okay." He looked nervous as he babbled. "But it looks like you are so I won't bother you."

Raph strode to the edge of the building; he had almost gotten away when she called out.

"Raphael, wait."

He turned around, wishing he had run off the ledge.  
Raine ran over to him. "Did you want to come in? I mean it's fairly cold out here."

Raph moved away from her. "Nah, I shouldn't. I gotta meet the guys on patrol."

"Are you hunting Dragons again?" Raine grabbed his arm.

"Somethin' like that." He shrugged. The movement made the bandage over his chest pull. Raine reached up and touched the edges of the white material.

"If you keep doing this you're going to get in more trouble." Raine dropped her bandaged hand to his. "Can't you take a break, just this once?"

Raph shook off her hand, his anger flared. Didn't she know that he was protecting people just like her. Stopping others from being hurt just like she was.

"I can't take a break, not when there are monsters out there are hurtin' innocent people every night."

"But you're hurt." Raine argued.

"So are you." Raph shot back, gesturing at her arm. Raine pulled her sleeve over the bandage as if that could make the wound disappear.

"I'm not out looking for trouble every night." Raine retorted.

"And no one else is going to protect this city."

"Why are you doing this all the time?"

"Why do you care?"

Hurt flickered across her face, Raph immediately felt guilty and regretted saying that.

Raine composed herself, she and Sara had discussed the unlikeliness of them being together but it still hurt to hear him confirm her thoughts.

"I'm sor…" Raph sighed heavily. "Go back inside Raine, it's too cold out here."

Just as he said that the sky opened up and it started raining. They were quickly drenched, the rain bounced off Raph's shell and soaked into Raine's hair and clothes.

"Go inside Raine." Raph repeated.

Raine ignored him and moved closer. She stopped when she was inches away.

"I care because you are a good person, you're caring and protective and when you want to be you are so noble…. and…" She looked down. "And you mean a lot to me."

When she looked up, Raph saw undefined emotions that mirrored his inner turmoil. Just like when he'd spoken to her on the fire-escape earlier in the week. Without thinking he reached out a hand and cupped her face. Raine turned her head and kissed his palm.

When their eyes locked again Raine saw fire, knowing that this would probably be the only chance she ever had, Raine slid her hand behind his neck and pulled his head down to hers.

Raph stared down at the face getting closer. Desire surged through him and he forgot that he was trying to distance himself. Crushing his mouth on hers, Raph ignored his conscience as he pulled Raine hard against him. He heard her small gasp as she slammed into his plastron. Easing his grip only slightly Raph continued to kiss her hungrily. Raine's hands tightened on his bandana tails. Slowly they broke apart. Raine noticed dimly that it was still raining.

Raph backed away, thoughts were running through his head that confused him and made him doubt his choices.

"I have to go." He said quickly before disappearing into the darkness.

Raine stood there and watched him go, her thoughts still fuzzy from the kiss. She could still feel the imprint of his mouth on hers. Why had he left so quickly?

The part of her brain that was working properly chimed in. _The turtles were separated._ Years of training turned that thought into movement and Raine was off the roof and in her bedroom before she could say 'Night off.'.

Off came her wet clothes and on went the traditional uniform of the Blood Guild. Raine kept only one in the apartment in case she had to make a quick escape. As soon as the hood and mask fell into place she became Ghost.

* * *

Twenty minutes later she was surveying the opposite end of the city. She hoped Raph was far from here. She didn't want to fight him tonight. Not after what had happened.

Ghost sent her senses out, trying to catch the aura of one of the mutants. She sat stone still for five minutes until one became noticeable.

She stalked it until she was certain of which one it was. Tonight was clearly her lucky night. Michelangelo was leaping rooftops 400 meters away. She followed the turtle until he reached a rooftop at an intersection and had only limited escape options.

Michelangelo was peering over the edge when Ghost came up behind him.  
"You're being very brave coming out alone."

He spun around. "Woah, Betty…I mean Ghost. What are you doing here?"

She blinked. "It's your turn to fight me."

The orange banded turtle groaned. "Really? Damn, there goes my dinner plans."

Ghost was tempted to smile but pulled her pair of sai from their holders instead. Michelangelo grinned as his hand went behind him and came back spinning his nunchaku.

They clashed together in a whirlwind of limbs, no preliminary testing of defences. Unlike her fight with Donatello, this one was mostly acrobatic work. Kicks and swift strikes to get around the spinning protection of his nunchaku.

The speed and dexterity of Michelangelo's movements astounded Ghost, she'd never seen him move so swiftly. The pure effortlessness of his technique was jaw-dropping and for a moment Ghost was captivated by the beauty of his talent and skill. Luckily she wasn't struck still by it.

She dropped down and swept her leg under his. He dodged and deflected her upward attack. The nunchaku whistled past her ear as Ghost twisted her neck just in time. Ghost rolled onto her feet and struck again, this time she caught Michelangelo across the cheek.

They sprang apart and he touched the bloody slash. "Ouch. You're quick."

"I have to be, it's part of the job."

He grinned again and covered the distance between them. Sai and nunchaku clashed and twisted together as they darted around each other, seeking an opening. The hard wood of his weapons smacked against her multiple times, causing Ghost to drop several of her attacks. She was certain the number of bruises on her body was growing exponentially, but his attacks didn't hit hard enough to break the skin.

She could see the way he was playing with her. She wasn't surprised, it was in his nature to play around. That he managed to incorporate it into his fighting style made her smile.

Ghost deflected another strike and came up in Michelangelo's opening. The tip of her sai opened a shallow gash from just above the top edge of his plastron, across his clavicle and up his neck. He flinched back in time to avoid it slicing his face.

* * *

Raph started when his shell-cell went off with the tune Mikey had programmed into it. Remembering Leo's plan he quickly pulled it out and flipped it open. What sounded like voices followed by fighting came through the speaker. Somewhere in the city Ghost had found Mikey.

* * *

Lightening snapped above them, momentarily illuminating the rain-slick rooftop.

Michelangelo spun his nunchaku while trying to judge Ghost's next move. She was fast and highly skilled.

Mike thought fleetingly as she jumped towards him again, that it was similar to sparing with Leo. Except she wanted to kill him.

He flipped backward, losing his stability as one foot disappeared in a deep puddle as he landed. His shell smacked into the wet concrete as he toppled backwards. Ghost's blade glinted in the darkness above him.

Remembering how he escaped from Raph after a particularly inventive prank, Mike pushed his foot to the bottom of the puddle and kicked.

Ghost exclaimed in the darkness and he saw her silhouette moving away. Taking this opportunity he got to his feet and slid into the shadows behind her.

* * *

Ghost dashed the water from her eyes and spun, trying to find Michelangelo again. The soft splash of a foot was her only warning before his weapon came down hard on her arm.

Ghost heard the crack before the pain registered in her brain. She went down to one knee and cradled what she was sure was a broken arm. She panted through the pain until she could close off her mind to it and push it away.

Michelangelo stood nearby watching her.

"Did Donatello explain my rules to you?" She forced the words out.

"Yeah."

"Then finish this."

He balked. "I don't want to kill you."

Ghost pushed herself to her feet. Her good hand limply holding one of her sai. "The only way to stop me is to kill me. Otherwise I will destroy you and hunt the rest of your family down."

"Why?"

"I am bound by my word of honour and oath of loyalty to the Blood Guild." Ghost knew she shouldn't be saying any of this but exhaustion and pain was muddling her thoughts.

"So you don't want to kill us? You have to because you were told to." Mike said thoughtfully.

She nodded. "Something like that."

"Can't you quit?"

Ghost chuckled, its sound was ruined by the pain beating at her mental shields. "It's all the same in the end….Why don't you just end this now, turtle? I'll die one day either way."

The truth behind that statement made her cringe internally.

"My brothers will be here soon. We can help you."

Ghost frowned. "You just broke my arm, why are you trying to save me now?"

"I don't think you're a bad person."

She looked up at him incredulously. "I'm hunting your family and I've almost killed one of your brothers. You are a bad judge of character if you think I'm a good person."

He cracked a grin. "You might not be a good person but you're not bad either."

Ghost stared at her target. Her eyesight was starting to get a little fuzzy and the harsh pain in her arm was becoming too much of a distraction for coherent thought.

As if from far away she heard other voices invade their dark battleground. Michelangelo's brothers had arrived.

"Finish this turtle, let me die with honour."

She sensed him hesitate and gathered what strength she had left. The attack could have been blocked if Michelangelo had been focused on her. Ghost quickly toppled her distracted target and swiped the tip of the sai along his throat.

A startled expression crossed his face like many of the others she'd assassinated this way. The soft wheeze of breathing told her she hadn't cut deep enough but the sounds of his approaching brothers had Ghost abandoning the scene. They would either be able to save him or he'd die in the night.

One way or another she'd know soon.

Two blocks away she stripped off her hood and joined the small stream of people still on the rainy street and limped down a pre-chosen escape route.

Her broken arm held close to her body to protect it, she'd have to come up with a plausible excuse for her injuries, something that would disguise her true actions. The worst ache, Ghost acknowledged solemnly, was the one in her heart.

She pulled out her mobile phone. "Daniel, it's me."

"Of course it is. Only you have this number. Is the target destroyed?"

Cold settled in her chest. "I think so."

"Think so? Why didn't you confirm the kill?"

"The other targets arrived before I could. I have a broken arm, I had to leave."

He sighed. "You're getting sloppy on this one Ghost. You're too close."

"Lay off, Dan. I need cover. How am I going to explain my injuries?"

"Where are you?" He asked, all business.

She looked around, carefully assessing her surroundings. "East end of Route three."

She heard the faint sound of tapping then, "All right, keep going fifty feet."

Ghost kept walking, her eyes darting around to find evidence of what Daniel had planned. There were only a handful of people on the street, the rain and time keeping them inside. Ghost wished she had done the same.

Her highly tuned senses, fuzzy from pain, warned her just moments before the explosion slammed her into the building next to her.

* * *

"Mikey!"

"Where are you, Michelangelo?"

The turtles searched the dark rooftop for a sign of their missing brother. Leonardo flipped open his shellcell and they waited in tense silence for Mikey's distinctive ringtone.

At the first sound they moved. Don saw him first and exclaimed, drawing the others' attention. Torchlight flicked on and was followed by a gasp from Leo and Raph.

They hurried to his side and Raph felt sick as he knelt next to his brother, he took the torch from Don so he could work some magic.

_A miracle is what we need._ He thought solemnly.

In the circle of light he could see the pool of fresh blood mixing with the rain around Mikey's head. His little brother was covered in cuts and abrasions, but it was the slice across his neck that had Raph concerned. He was correct in guessing that it was the source of the majority of the blood.

Fear and anger sparked in Raph a Don confirmed that Mike would survive for now. Fear for almost losing his brother and anger that someone had dared touch Mikey. Only he was allowed to abuse his brothers.

Don turned to him and gave him and Leo a list of things he needed to be capable to move Mikey safely back to the lair.

"What if Ghost comes back?" Leo asked. "You shouldn't wait here alone."

"Ghost isn't after me and from the looks of it she isn't after Mike any more either. You two are safest together. Now go."

Raph and Leo quickly departed. They were surrounded by apartment buildings, one had to be empty or have a window open. Luckily they found a dark apartment nearby and wedged open a window.

"I'm going to kill her." Raph uttered as they slipped into the dark bathroom.

"Let's focus on getting Michelangelo back to the lair, then I'll help you."

Leo's uncharacteristic reply made Raph stare, the look of fury and grief on Leo's face told him everything. He grinned darkly and clapped a hand on Leonardo's shoulder. For once, they stood united on a mission to destroy.

Together they gathered the necessary supplies Don had listed and left some money in return. Raph even grabbed a bottle of whiskey on his hunt through the apartment.

When they got back to the rooftop they saw that Don had assembled a makeshift shelter to keep Mikey dry. He took the bandages and such from the pair and directed them to lift their wounded brother while he slid a rough pallet of boxes and damp cardboard beneath him.

Don and Leo's open-air medical skills surpassed Raph's, he stood back and kept an eye out for ghost in case she decided to come back.

Fifteen minutes later they deemed Mikey fit for travel and carefully draped him over Raph's shoulder. Raphael had volunteered, knowing he had the required muscle and endurance to haul Mike's dead weight the five blocks home.

A muffled explosion followed by car alarms and shouts caught their attention. They stared for several moments without speaking. Raph could see Leo was torn between his loyalty to Michelangelo and his duty to the city. Raph wanted to investigate too, he also wanted to smash a head into a wall but he couldn't with his currant load.

Don noticed too apparently. "No, Leo, tonight the city can look after itself. Mike needs us."

Immediately shame crossed Leonardo's face. Raph bumped into him as he started moving. "Come on, we should leave."

* * *

**What did you think? Please review and let me know :)**

**TammyCat**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi guys, sorry about the delay. I'll try and get on this a bit quicker. I know I say that everytime but yeah, as soon as inspiration hits I start writing.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Raine woke slowly, her head was groggy in a way only powerful drugs could produce. Industrial drugs. Her eyelids felt weighted down. She forced them open and after a moment her vision cleared.

Bland walls with boring seascapes stared back at her. A semi-opaque curtain blocked her view of most of the room. The distinctive smell of disinfectant and illness hung in the air. A dark doorway peeked at her just beyond the curtain. Sara was slumped on a chair against the wall. It took Raine a minute to realise that her sister was asleep.

_What time was it? How long had she been in the hospital?_ A cold shiver of recollection rolled through her. _What had happened to Michelangelo?_

The rest of her faculties came on slowly. The last thankfully was bodily sensation. The physical trauma she'd been through before and during the explosion came back to bite her tenfold without her mental shields in place.

She moaned as she lifted her arm to push her hair out of her face. Abused muscles protested their movement viciously. Sara's eyes opened and she was immediately at Raine's side.

"Thank god you're awake. How do you feel?"

Raine studied her sister's face. Sara's eyes were swollen and bloodshot and her clothes were rumpled."

"Like crap. What happened?"

"There was an explosion at a drug dealer's lab. You got blown into a wall….What were you doing out there?"

Raine didn't know what to say. What could she say? _Sorry sis but I have another life and I have to hunt down our friends for money_. Not likely.  
She went with something safe. "I can't remember."

Sara frowned and leaned closer, as if trying to determine Raine's memory problems for herself. "The doctor said you might have some trouble remembering, brain trauma or something. What's the last thing you remember?"

Raine paused for a long moment then squished her face up as if she were trying really hard to think. "I was at home, I heard something on the roof and I went out to see…. Raph was up there."

"What happened?"

"We had a fight. He took off and I must have followed him."

"What was the fight about?" Sara asked, concerned.

Raine looked away, still unsure of how to feel about what happened on the roof. On a professional level it was completely unacceptable and she should resign from this assignment. But on a personal level it had been amazing. She still wasn't going to look into why she was attracted to a mutated turtle.

"I don't remember."

Sara squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Give it time. We can ask Raph about it if you still don't remember anything later."

Raine smiled wanly because that was what Sara wanted to see. Inside she hoped that Raphael had suffered a similar blow to the head. The last thing she needed was to be more involved with the turtles.

"I tried calling them after the hospital called me but they didn't answer, not even Mikey."

"Maybe they were busy." Looking after their brother.

Sara nodded. "Do you want something? I can go to the cafeteria."

She smiled. "If you could grab me some jello I'm sure I'll heal faster."

Sara laughed and left the room.

Raine's thoughts turned to the turtles again. She wondered if Mikey had survived the night. Would he still be the same if he did recover? Would the brothers be okay if he didn't?

Tears welled in her eyes at the imagined pain she'd be putting their family through on top of the damage she had already caused. That overflow of emotion proved to her that she was already past the point of no return.

* * *

Raph looked over at his brothers. They were all seated around Michelangelo's bed, silent, hoping for a recovery.

The soft beeping from the machines around Mikey's head was the only evidence that time was passing.

It had been hours since they had gotten their young brother home. The first few had been a chaos of blood, fury and fear. Master Splinter had calmed the storm initially, enough for Don to call Leatherhead and start the operation to save Mikey's life.

Raph wasn't sure how long they had been sitting next to Mike's inert body but he felt sure that machine had been beeping for an eternity. Exhaustion hugged his brain and fogged his thoughts. Which was a small mercy since when he wasn't thinking about Mike and what he'd like to do Ghost, his thoughts were on Raine and what had happened on the rooftop.

A shrill sound broke through the tense silence. All eyes turned to Don's belt. Don frowned at the Shellcell's screen.

"Who is it?" Leo asked wearily.

"I don't know." He replied before pressing the accept button. "Hello?...Oh, hi Sara. What's up?...What! Which hospital? What happened? Are you okay?...Yeah, Sara, of course. Stay safe and one of us will come check on you soon, okay?...Bye."

Raph's attention was fully caught by the time Donatello hung up.

"What's happened, Don?" Leo asked.

Don stared at his ShellCell for another couple of moments. "Umm, Raine's in the hospital. Apparently a meth lab exploded as she was walking past."

Raph jumped to his feet. "No way. I just saw her tonight."

Leo turned to him. "You were supposed to be on the lookout for Ghost. Why did you stop at their apartment?"

"I was in the area." He replied, getting annoyed the way he usually did when Leo questioned him.

Leo glared. "You could have led Ghost straight to the girls."

"She's not after them, she's after us. Besides, I went there to be sure Ghost wasn't hunting them too."

"And while you were trying to play the white knight for Raine, Mikey was attacked."

White fury ran through Raph at Leo's words. "Don't put what Ghost did on me. You came up with the plan to split up. You gave us our areas, you made the call."

Anguish mixed with anger on Leonardo's face. Don moved to stand between them but they were facing off on opposite sides of the bed.

Master Splinter opened the door. "Calm, my sons. Placing blame will not solve our problem. Ghost will find a way to separate and confront all of you, the circumstances will not concern her. The Blood Guild trains their acolytes superbly. It is a credit to their training and discipline that both Donatello and Michelangelo survived their encounters."

Raph turned back to Mike, his breathing was steady but there was none of the animation he was used to seeing in his brother's face. A brief image of Raine in the same position made the air stick in his lungs. He felt the sudden need to get out of the room, unable to sit in there with those beeping machines.

"I'm goin' the kitchen." He escaped as quickly as possible.

Standing alone in the kitchen didn't give him what he wanted. It was still silent and he was still plagued with thoughts of Mikey. Would he survive? What would they do if he didn't? What would Mike be like if he did? He'd lost a lot of blood and due to the extensive head injuries Leatherhead had warned them that he might have some brain damage. Raph had a quip about it not being noticeable but he would keep that to himself until Mikey recovered.

The news about Raine had surprised him. She'd been fine when he'd left her earlier. Run from her, he had to admit it to himself.

What had she been doing out after that?

"Raph, you should go to see Raine."

He spun to see Don, concern evident on his face. "What about Mikey?"

"He's stable. He should wake up in a few hours, Leatherhead will be back here then. We have everything handled. Go see Raine and check on Sara."

Memories of the rooftop flashed through his mind. "I don't think I should. Get Leo."

"No, you should go. If you stay you'll get into a fight with Leo and that won't help anyone." Don braced his hands on the table. "Besides, I've seen how you look at Raine, you should go and see her."

Raph felt a tendril of unease crawl down his neck. "What do you mean?"

Don sighed. "Raph, you have to be the most unaware person in this state if you can't see that you have feelings for Raine, and that she has them for you."

"How do you know that?" The rooftop returned to his thoughts for the umpteenth time that night.

"You're not as subtle as you think you are, bro. Raine is harder to read but I could see the signs."

Raph didn't know what to do; his mouth was dry and his tongue wouldn't move. Thoughts raced through his head. If Don was right and he usually was, then why was he still standing there? He knew Raine felt something for him otherwise she wouldn't have kissed him back. He should be with her, maybe finding a way to kiss her again.

The desire to give in to his own needs sent shame through him. The brief high his hope had produced came crashing down as he realized he wanted to rush off when his little brother was unconscious and injured in the other room. What sort of person was he to even consider leaving?

"Too easy to read by half." Don muttered under his breath before he moved around the table to pat his brother's shoulder. "Stop beating yourself up. Go, you can't do anything here. I'll call as soon as Mikey wakes up."

Hope burst back into life in Raph's chest. "The moment his freakishly big eyes start to move."

"Yeah yeah." Don agreed. "I'll put you on speed dial. Now get out of here."

He was on his bike before he even knew where he was going. His Shellcell buzzed on his belt. Raph smiled as he read the message and thanked his brother silently.

* * *

Don grinned to himself and returned to Mikey's room. Leo looked up as he entered, the traces of his bad mood still showing on his face.

"Where's Raph?"

"Gone to check on Raine and Sara. I thought it be best for all if we avoided a fight right now." He checked on the machines around Michelangelo's head.

Master Splinter nodded sagely. "Wise choice, my son."

* * *

**Review if you could please. I'd love to hear from you.**

**TammyCat**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi guys, I know it has been a long time since I've updated and I'm very sorry :( However I am doing what I can to get through this story. This update is, sadly, just one to move things along. We'll be getting back to some juicy stuff soon.**

**Thank you for the reviews and alerts. I really appreciate it :) xx**

**Happy New Year my lovelies!**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Raine was staring blindly at the ceiling when a bulky doctor walked into her room and locked the door.

"Can I help you?" She asked the broad white back facing her.

"I heard ya were here."

The rough voice betrayed its owner before he could turn around.

Raine's heart sped up. "What are you doing here?"

His dark eyes shined at her over the pale facemask. "Sara called an' said you'd gotten hurt. I came to check on ya…Are ya okay? Where is she?"

"I'm okay. I asked one of her friend's parents to look after her for a few days. She'll be back in the morning probably though. That kid worries too much."

"I don't think so. You're her only family... How are you?

"The doctors seem to think I'll survive." She smiled. "I'm just a little sore."

"A little? From what Don said, you got trashed." He pulled the medical mask down.

Raine barked out a laugh and rubbed at her ribs when they ached. "Yeah, well. I heal quickly." Raph leaned close and checked her bandages anyway. "Did you find what you were looking for the other night?"

He scowled. "No, but she found Mikey."

She managed to produce a convincing gasp of surprise but the concern that flooded her face was genuine. "How is he?"

"He was unconscious when I left. Don and Leatherhead saved him… Don'll call when he wakes up."

Raine released a sigh of relief and the tension in her shoulders drained away, she suddenly felt very light. The lump in her stomach that had been with her since she'd woken up was gone.

"That's good, Raph."

He nodded and they lapsed into silence. Raine's mind was woozy with relief and drugs but she could easily see that Raph had serious matters on his mind; his frown was too dark for any light-hearted thoughts.

"What wrong Raph? You're being too quiet."

He looked up. "I'm usually quiet."

"Yeah." She agreed. "But it's a different sort of quiet. What's on your mind?"

"Ghost."

The lump reformed in her stomach. "What about her?"

"I'm goin' to hunt her down and make her wish she never came to New York."

The lump moved up into her throat. Sudden nausea roiled in her belly and Raine was certain she was about to lose what she had eaten only fifteen minutes ago. Raphael was dead serious, he hated Ghost and would kill her the first chance he got. She couldn't blame him but the knowledge packed a punch in her heart.

"I'm sure she already feels that way, I mean you guys haven't given her an easy fight. Don's safe and Mikey will be too."

"And when I find her we'll all be safe."

Raine reached out and laid her hand on his arm. "Don't compromise your honour for the sake of revenge. If you defeat her in honest combat you'll be free."

"If I kill her we'll all be free."

Raine nodded unable to deny the truth. She asked the question that haunted her thoughts. "Will you unmask her?"

Raph seemed to muse for a while, his frown still ominously dark. "Maybe."

"Do you really have to know who she is?"

He looked at her bewildered. "Raine, she could have hurt you. She could have used you against us. There's still Leo an' me."

Raine tried to push away the anger and hurt at her impugned honour. She had never been accused of the things Raphael and his brothers thought her capable of. Hell! One man had thanked her for treating him so fairly!

"I'll be sure to keep my doors and windows locked." She said dryly. "But she hasn't come near us. Has she done anything to make you think she's so dishonest?"

He scowled. "Besides huntin' us down for money? She's working for Karai and the Foot. They wouldn't know honour if it punched them in the face."

Raine smiled at the fairly accurate description. "If Karai had her way you wouldn't have been allowed to survive. She probably would have hunted Don and Mikey down while they were injured."

The frown on his face told her that she wouldn't get any further pleading the case of an assassin trying to kill his family.

"How are you? Considering everything that's happened?" She asked softly.

He shrugged. "I'm good."

"As good as I am. Don't bullshit me Raphael." Raph turned to her, his eyes saying things his pride wouldn't let him. She cupped his cheek in her palm. "Everything will be okay."

The door rattled and Raph jumped away from her. He was hidden inside the dark bathroom before the nurse was able to unlock it. The look on her face was exasperated.

"Why was the door locked?"

Raine smiled wanly. "I wanted to sleep and not be disturbed."

The nurse eyed the IV bag attached to the bed and shrugged. She had too much to do to worry about one young woman. She asked Raine some questions on how she was feeling, did she remember anything new? Raine answered appropriately. Then she scribbled on a chart and left, closing the door again on the way out.

Raph slid out of the shadows and looked at the folder the nurse had put away. "Don would be able to tell you what this meant."

Raine smiled. "I'm getting better, I'm happy knowing that."

She was relaxing while Raph was snooping when the pressure on her bladder became insistent. Raine groaned in pain as she tried to rise. The sharp sensation ran along her ribs and across her back. Raine paused for a moment to be sure she hadn't wet herself.

Raphael was at her side when she opened her eyes again, helping her lay back down.

"Where does it hurt?"

Raine scoffed. "Everywhere. Even my heartbeat hurts. But I need the bathroom right now."

Raph nodded and looked around. He handed her a white bedpan.

She chuckled softly. "I'm not peeing in that. Help me up."

She suppressed her groan of pain and waiting as he unhooked her IV. It was slow going and a little awkward, Raph had to stretch his arm through the semi-open door so Raine could do what she had to in mild comfort.

She settled back into her bed a few minutes later with a sigh of relief. It had only been a short distance but the effort had drained her.

Her ribs still ached slightly and the burn down her spine made being on her back uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" Raph asked as he adjusted the blanket and patted the pillow.

She nodded. "I will be."

He was still fussing with her pillow and Raine realized this was the most tenderness she'd seen from Raph ever. From anyone ever really. He must have been seriously concerned about her. She immediately felt guilty, something that was very uncommon for Raine.

His hand on her neck stopped any further thoughts. She almost stopped breathing when his fingers stroked her throat softly.

"What are you doing?" She whispered.

"I don' know."

He leaned in as Raine reached up. The kiss was smooth and warm. Raine felt it clear to her abused feet. Her hands snuck up and around his neck, urging him forward onto the bed.

It was a long while later that they parted for breath.

"What are we doing?"

"Kissing." Raine replied with a smile.

He rolled his eyes. "Ya know what I mean."

"Do we have to label it? Can't we just enjoy this and wherever it goes?"

Raph paused, staring at her and Raine thought he was going to cut and run. "Ya sure ya want me? You're human and I'm not."

She almost sighed with relief. Her hand trailed down until her fingertips traced the edge of his plastron. "I'm sure Raph. I wouldn't be holding you if I wasn't."

He growled something Raine couldn't understand and he kissed her again. Heat flooded her body as he took possession of her mouth. A hand on her waist made her gasp and not in a good way. Raph pulled away.

"I'm okay." She assured him. "But we might have to go slow until I'm back on my feet."

She smiled at the mildly disappointed look on his face and reached up to bring him close again. She would deal with the consequences tomorrow.

* * *

**I would love it if you would review. It makes me want to write for you :)**

**TammyCat**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ok, so it has been a while since we last left off. I do hope you'll bear with me as I try to get us through to the end. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Leatherhead watched Mikey's twitching eyelids. He had continued to monitor Michelangelo through the night, it was now almost seven in the morning and the faintest threads of concern and fear were working through the wall he'd put up to keep them out. He had shoved all fear and worry away when he'd started work on his friend. He couldn't do his job properly if he feared screwing up.

He leaned in close and inspected the multitude of gashes covering Mike's body. The edges were clean with minimal torn skin and no missing flesh, almost with surgical precision. Thankfully it had made suturing them closed that much easier.

Leo entered the room and offered him a steaming cup. Without looking he swallowed a good third of the very hot coffee. He gasped as the heat ran down his throat while scalding his mouth.

Leo quickly took the cup so LH could chug the glass of water next to Mikey's bed.

"You all right?"

"Yes." He replied thickly around his burnt tongue. "No more hot drinks though."

Leo looked repentant. "Sorry, Leatherhead. Can I get you something else? You've been going all night. You should get some rest."

LH nodded. "I know and I will once Michelangelo shows some improvement."

Leonardo shook his head. "You have been here all bight, Don'll be awake in an hour, I can look after Michelangelo until then. Go get some sleep."

As the heat drained from his mouth Leatherhead could taste hints of bitterness. He grimaced, he disliked coffee.

He saw Leonardo absently drinking from the mug now and realized Leo had made the coffee the way Leo liked it not tea the way he liked it. Looking closer, LH could see the bruises under Leo's eyes and the slight droop in his shoulders.

"Thank you but I couldn't sleep. You haven't either, I can see that."

"What? I'm fine."

LH smirked. "That's why you made me your coffee."

Leonardo blinked and looked down at the half finished cup. "Did I? Sorry Leatherhead."

Raphael sauntered into the room. "Hey."

"Hello Rapheal." Leatherhead replied. "Have you slept at all?"

The red banded head shook. "Nah, too much going on. How's the meathead?"

"Stable but he has not yet awoken."

"I thought Don said he'd wake up hours ago?"

"Yes, that's what we hoped."

Raphael sighed and sank into a chair. "What do we do if he doesn't wake up?"

"He will." Leo said firmly. "He has to."

"I want him to too, Leo, but he was suppose ta wake up a few hours ago."

Leo tossed back the last of his drink and left, presumably to get more.

Raph looked up at him. "What's the deal? Will he make it?"

Leatherhead hated the dejected tone his voice, it wasn't the Raphael he knew. "There was some mild swelling in his brain. Once that has reduced he should improve."

"_If_ that reduces."

They jumped as a new voice joined the sombre conversation. LH saw Donatello standing in Leo's vacated spot. He had a gaunt look about him but the darkness under his eyes was minimal.

"What d'ya mean 'if'?" Raphael demanded.

"Meaning I don't know how bad his head trauma was or even when it occurred. I didn't see signs of it when I inspected him after his fight with Ghost. I don't know what to do about it."

"It could have happened at any time during the fight. Or any of the times that he's gotten me into a fight, Mikey's a one turtle wrecking machine when he wants to be."

Leo walked back through the door, he placed one hand on Donatello's shoulder. "Calm down guys. He'll wake when he's ready."

An hour later Leatherhead took his leave with a command that they had to call him when Mike opened his eyes. The three brothers sat and stood around the bed, changing positions regularly. Master Splinter came and went, mostly they could hear soft chanting from his rooms.

Occasionally Michelangelo would give them hope as he breathed a little deeper or flickered his eyelids but he stayed silent and still for the most part.

Don turned to Raph and asked. "Hey, how are the girls?"

"They'll be okay. Raine will be in hospital for a while and Sara is staying with some of her friends until Raine's released."

Don nodded, he was surprised that they had forgotten so completely. "Did they say what happened?"

"Nah, just that some drug lab exploded as she was on the street. Broken arm and leg. Cuts and bruises. She'll be okay."

Don and Leo nodded their agreement and Don asked. "Did the two of you sort anything out?"

The dark slash of colour on Raph's face caught Don's attention and he chuckled, happy to be diverted from his fear and concern by his brothers' clear embarrassment. "Share, right now."

Raph glared at him. "Nothin' happened."

"That blush on your face says differently." Leo replied with a small smile and taunted. "Is she your girlfriend now?"

Raph's expression got darker and Don had to stop himself from laughing in case it set his volatile brother off. A quick look at Leonardo showed he was in a similar state. It wasn't often that Raph was so embarrassed.

"He can't have a girlfriend, he might stop being grumpy." A soft voice wheezed.

They turned in unison to see Mike's eyes mostly open. As one they exclaimed happily and rushed to be at his side. Don checked the machines around him and inspected the bandages wrapping his neck. Leo thrust a glass of water into Mikey's hand and Raph hovered at the end of the bed.

Michelangelo stared at them dopily for a moment, his left eye not opening as wide as the other. "So, how'd it go? Did I win?"

Raph grinned and tapped Mike's foot. "Yeah, buddy, you won."

* * *

**Yay! Mikey's alive!**

**Please review and let me know what you think. It means a lot to me to read your opinions. **

**I have a side story of Raph and Raine, it was meant for a different storyline that I won't be writing now. Would you like to read it?**

**TammyCat**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi Guys and Girls**

**First off HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you all had an amazing evening with friends and family. I know I did. It was surprisingly nice for a Melbourne night :) I didn't even need my jacket.**

**I would like to say thank you to all of you who have stayed with me and patiently waited as I pushed myself to finally get something written down. I'm not going to jinx myself by saying that I'll update more often, all I can say is that the end is coming and I'm eager to get there :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Raine leaned against the banister, watching her little sister. It was a Sunday night and they were in the same place they had been for the last three Sundays and occasionally could be found mid-week.

Leo had Sara training with wooden tonfa and the poor girl was getting beaten soundly but wasn't losing confidence as she repeatedly came back for more. Raine smiled when her sister landed on her arse but stood up again, eager to continue. She wasn't sure what had prompted this determination in Sara to learn martial arts but it was doing her good. Raine had received calls from the school saying that Sara's grades had suffered right after her stay in hospital but had begun to improve dramatically.

Raine's eyes strayed to Michelangelo, even when she wasn't doing it consciously she found herself watching the orange turtle. A feeling of guilt gripped her and tore at her heart as she watched him practice with Don. His movements were smooth but no longer had a sense of flow. His footwork was more like a child dancing than a professional as he had been before, and every now and then his neck and shoulders would twitch uncontrollably for a few moments. The more he stressed, the more frequently the twitching came on and it got worse as he tensed. Don said it was the nerves regrowing but to Raine it was an unnerving reminder of her betrayal.

Mikey had been allowed out of bed for the first time two weeks after their fight; Sara had told Raine as she was still recovering in hospital. He'd been closely attended by Donatello and someone called Leatherhead for several days. It was only a few days after that he'd started training again, testing out whether he had any underlying damage. Thankfully he was almost fully recovered; a bandage around his neck was the only evidence of the fight now.

Raine on the other hand was still sporting a cast on her leg and a strong brace on her arm. She managed to hobble along with a crutch but it was still awkward movement. She'd been released from hospital a week after Mikey had started his training again. It had been a fight with the doctors but Raine had eventually gotten them to let her go with a prescription for painkillers and a warning to come back in two weeks. The cast would come off soon and she still had lots of movement in her splinted arm.

Sporadic movement caught her attention, Michelangelo's arm was shaking hard enough for his nunchuku to drop from his hand. Leo and Sara stopped to look and Don reached out and held Mikey's shoulders until he stood still again.

"That's enough for today, I think. Raph should be back soon." Leo said, swinging his tonfa under his arm. "That was good." He smiled at Sara and patted Mike on the shoulder. Sara beamed but Raine saw the frustration in Michelangelo's face. She ached in response.

Her fingers closed around the vial in her pocket. She's been feeding it to Mikey every time she'd seen him. It was a chemical/hormone that encouraged the growth of cells. She used it religiously after a serious fight, it cut recovery time in half. It had saved her life on more than one occasion. Mike was doing better and she would continue to slip it into his drinks or onto his food whenever she could get a chance.

Sara appeared at her elbow. "Are you coming?"

She smiled automatically, shoving the dark thoughts away. "Of course." She adjusted the crutch under her arm. "You were doing very well. Soon you'll be able to beat me in a fight."

"I could beat you now, all I'd have to do is push you over." Sara replied cheekily. Raine swatted at her with the reinforced arm but the little minx danced away laughing.

Raine made it down to the main room in time to see Raphael putting the pizza boxes on the table, a soft blush coloured her cheeks but she was determined not to let her reaction show. Raph had been surprisingly attentive since that first night in the hospital. They tried to keep things as played down as possible but when all their siblings knew it was like trying to keep a cat in a bath.

He looked up as she stumped down the ramp and smiled slowly, her stomach did one of those embarrassing flip-flops. He took a step forward, assumedly to help her to the table, but Don jumped in front of him and hurried to her side. She'd discovered in the last couple of weeks that Don was picking up the slack of Michelangelo's mischievousness nature.

"Madam, may I help you to your seat?" He asked as he sidled up to her.

Raine smiled, she would have said no if her leg wasn't aching. "Thank you, sir."

Without warning Don swept her legs out from under, careful not to jar the cast and carried her over to the kitchen. Raine automatically clung to his neck until he settled her into a chair. She usually had perfect control over her reactions but she was sure her face was bright red by now.

They settled around the small kitchen table, Leo and Raphael standing as Raine and Sara took their chairs. Comfortable conversation flowed as the pizza boxes and napkins were handed around. Raine was highly aware of Raphael's movements around the table, every time he reached over to steal another piece of pizza from someone's plate or teased his brother's, her eyes would catch the way his muscles played beneath his skin. Her skin would heat when he caught her watching and sent a slow sexy smile her way.

Raine couldn't remember the last time just looking at a man had made her feel this way. She couldn't keep her thoughts straight as he kept stealing her attention and barely ate as her stomach seemed to be too busy fluttering.

It was with great relief that Raine escaped the table for the bathroom. It would take her several minutes with the cast in tow.

* * *

Raph watched her hobble away. She wasn't particularly quick or graceful at the moment but he didn't mind, it just made it easier to catch her at times.

"I don't like the way you're smiling, Raph" Sara said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, you're looking smug. Smug on you means bad things for others, usually me." Mikey added.

Raph smirked. "Trust me, Mikey, you're the last thing on my mind."

Sara stood up. "On that note, I'm going to play video games. Mikey, you coming?"

The pair bolted from the table. Raph poured himself another drink and braced against the bench to face his brother's and their inevitable questions.

"Is it going that well with Raine?" Don asked, a smile teasing the edges of his mouth.

Raph shrugged noncommittally. Don and Leo looked at him expectantly.

"What?"

"Tell us everything." Don demanded.

Raph sipped his drink. "A man doesn't kiss and tell."

"That doesn't apply to you, you're a turtle." Leo replied.

"I believe the saying is, 'A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell.'. You, my son, are not a gentleman either."

The three brothers looked up as Master Splinter sat down and chuckled. "Do not let me stop you. Michelangelo and Sara are using the televisions and I am missing my stories. Michelangelo has asked that you tell him everything later."

Raph rubbed at the back of his neck, mildly uncomfortable with the attention. "There's not much to tell."

"Then you are not doing it right." Splinter said. "Even I remember what it was like to court a woman."

"It just doesn't feel right talking about it." He looked in the direction Raine had disappeared.

Leo laid his hands flat on the table. "Let's put it another way, Don, Mike and I are unlikely to get a girlfriend in our lives. Ever."

Don made an offended noise and Leo turned to him.

"Come on, how many women do you think are out there that would let us anywhere near them? We're mutated turtles who live in a sewer. Raph found the only one we've ever come across."

Raph shifted uncomfortably and drank more. If this conversation continued he would need more scotch.

"Share with us, Raphael, how your romance started." Master Splinter accepted a can of soda from Donatello and looked patiently at his son. "A good story always needs a beginning."

He saw that he wouldn't be getting away from them with giving up some details, he turned to the cupboard and pulled out his bottled of scotch.

* * *

Raine shoved hard at the bathroom door to close it and almost succeeded in toppling herself over. With a curse she got the crutches under her and started back towards the main area. She knew that she had been neglecting her mission and that pissed her off. She had never had an issue before in separating her personal feelings from her professional goals. It had been a mistake to take this assignment. She had thought she was good enough, too good. Cockiness had made her take risks she didn't usually take. She had never used her own name on an assignment. She had never become so emotionally involved with her targets. She had certainly never shared a Dose with a target, not that any of them had survived their encounters.

Raine looked over the bannister and saw Sara and Michelangelo playing video games in the main lounge area. A stab of regret went through her heart. It had also been a mistake to bring Sara to New York. As much as Raine hated Jessica for what had happened to their family, Ghost should have known better than to involve civilians. Raine's personal feelings had made the decision that time as well. On top of that, it had been wrong to use her little sister to get closer to the turtles.

Self-disgust threatened to overcome Raine, she hid behind a column and leaned against it. She couldn't continue to operate like this. She would have to make some changes and go back to traditional procedure. No more letting personal issues cloud her professionalism.

Satisfied that she could keep that train of thought going for at least a couple hours Raine looked around to see where she could start.

Leonardo's bedroom door stood open only a few feet away.

She entered carefully and took stock of what was there with Ghost's eyes. Everything was in place and clean. His extra set weapons were kept in exemplary condition and stored on a stand on a wide shelf.

Rigid, self-contained and practical. Fighting Leonardo would be all about technique and form. Leo wouldn't get fancy like Don did or use tricks like Mikey. He would be straight forward and calmly aggressive. A highly dangerous opponent.

Raine left the room without disturbing anything and made for the kitchen. When she was close enough she saw Donatello pass Splinter a drink and stare at something just beyond her line of sight. It wasn't hard to figure out what had their rapt attention.

Not willing to walk into a potentially awkward situation Raine turned and retreated to Raph's bedroom. It hadn't changed too much since she had snuck in there months ago. There was still a ratty mattress on the floor and a hammock slung between the walls. A collection of boxes sat near the vent she had used as an entry point, which was now blocked. She smiled at the unnecessary precaution.

Raph's room didn't seem to have any noticeable rhyme or reason. He seemed to walk in and drop whatever was in his hand on the floor. If things get too messy even for him they would get scooped up and dumped in a box and stacked against the wall.

Ghost assessed the room and with her knowledge of Raphael's personality she deducted that Raphael would be very dangerous. He would use his anger to make him stronger. Anger would also make him sloppy and potentially unpredictable. Raph liked to get in close to use his sai. He wouldn't hesitate to do whatever he deemed suitable to take down his opponent.

Raine settled heavily into the hammock and laid back. She wasn't looking forward to the possible conclusions to her fights with Leonardo and Raphael but Ghost relished the challenge they would provide.

* * *

Raph eventually got away from his family, leaving Master Splinter happily humming about his stories and Leo and Don staring at the wall.

He found Raine resting in his hammock, watching the lights from the crystals dance on the ceiling. Her eyes were half closed as if she were just drifting off to sleep. He liked that she felt comfortable enough in his room to sleep. Somewhere in the bottom of his heart there was a desire to keep her there. If what Leo had said was true he was unlikely to ever find anyone else who looked at him the way she did. She made him feel strong and worthy, not that he would admit feeling that way to anyone or he would hand down a beating at the same time.

"Hey." He said from the doorway

She looked up. "Hey…They kept you busy down there."

Heat rushed to his face. "Sorry, they cornered me."

Raine laughed and patted the space next to her. Her smile lit up her face and Raph realised in that moment how screwed he was. He was in love with her.

* * *

**So, what did you think? Please review, I really appreciate it**

**See you all again soon. Hopefully it won't take me another 6+ months to update again. Thank you for waiting for me :)**

**TammyCat**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry guys, this is just a filler as I try and get out the rest. Hope you like it anyway xx**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Raine stared at the rain-streaked window and contemplated how much she didn't want to get out of bed.

Sara was at school and the apartment was quiet, peaceful. She didn't really need to do anything today.

She stretched and slowly moved her feet to the floor, nudging the cast sitting next to the bed. Raine considered the ugly expanse of white intermittently covered in scribbles by Sara and the turtles. It was becoming more of a nuisance than an asset.

She decided not to put it on just yet and have a shower instead. She tucked the offending boot under her arm and marched to the bathroom. It was better to have it on hand in case of unannounced visitors.

Under the hot stream of water her thoughts started to stray. In her mind's eye the water turned to hands, stroking and massaging her from head to toe. Pulling softly at her hair as it soaked up the spray.

She moaned quietly as the vision changed and she sank deeper into her mind. The hands moved up her body, teasing and fondling as they went. She leaned back into a broad hardness and could feel the ridges and lines that ran across it. Soft heat, like lips, touched her neck as the hands slid down her arms and held her against the hard body. The mouth laid kisses down her neck and shoulder before she was turned around and her mouth was claimed roughly.

Raine opened her eyes abruptly, coming out of her dream-world with a start. She looked around slowly; she was leaning against the shower wall with the water still pounding down on her. Her breath was ragged as her fantasy flowed back into her. Raine hadn't needed to see the person in her dream to know who it was that had been holding her.

She quickly turned off the water and dried herself off. This was getting almost out of hand. Her thoughts were consumed by Raphael on every level and that scared the hell out of her. She'd never had this sort of reaction to a man in her life, the possible ramifications were terrible.

Her meeting with Daniel last week came fresh out of her memory to smack her in the head.

* * *

_This is pathetic. Everyone run! Here comes the crippled assassin_. Raine thought derisively.

Raine did her usual morning routine, brushing her hair, and teeth. Breakfast was optional and they didn't currently have the chocolate croissant she was craving so she decided it could wait. She was wandering towards the shower when her phone went off. A quick check of the screen told her it came from her pager. She made a bee-line for her bedroom and the prepaid burn phone. She dialled the only number saved in it.

"You're quick on crutches." Daniels said as he answered.

"You're quick on wheels."

He snorted. "Get up here; I want to see how your leg is healing. The cast should be coming off soon."

He disconnected and Raine stared at the wall. She knew she should be happy to have the full use of her body back but her heart weighed heavy in her chest and her stomach clenched.

She locked up the apartment and hobbled to the elevator. Thankfully she didn't have far to go. Her handler, Daniels, lived on the floor above them occasionally. Raine wasn't sure where Daniels spent most of his time or how many other hidey-holes he had scattered over the city. He was more slippery than she was which was impressive considering his paraplegia.

The door was unlocked and Raine clunked into the dimly lit room. The weak light from the outside was the only illumination besides the computer monitors Daniels always seemed to have.

He wheeled himself over to a low table and indicated that Raine should sit. "How has your leg been feeling?"

"It's still a bit sore when I walk without crutches." She lowered herself and laid her leg out for him to inspect.

He picked at the edges and tested the flesh at either end. "Have you been taking the Doses?"

"Yep." _Most of them._

He eyed her suspiciously. "You shouldn't be having any discomfort anymore. The standard healing time with the Doses should be four weeks and you're one week past that."

He pulled out a small vibrating saw and switched on a small vacuum. Raine took the vacuum from him and held it close to where Daniels would start cutting, she pulled her shirt over her mouth and nose as dust started to rise.

The cuts were precise down each side of her leg, never deep enough to cut through the bandaging and into her leg. Daniels cracked the plaster open and took scissors to the protective bandage and stocking underneath. He ran a hand down Raine's leg. She winced as he passed over sore spots and unmanaged hair.

"It looks fine. Not as far along as I thought it would be but beggars can't be choosers. Go easy on it for a few days; you'll have to do some exercise with it before you can go back to active hunting. Giving half of the Dose to your target will do that." He looked at her pointedly.

Raine shrugged. "He won fair and square. Nothing says I can't help him recover as well."

"If he won fair and square how come you are still alive?"

She looked at him. She had no explanation, they could have killed her, and they'd had ample chance. Both Don and Michelangelo had the skills to do the job properly but they hadn't taken that final strike. She didn't feel like examining how she felt about that, or the offer Mikey had made her on the roof the night of their fight.

"You don't seem to mind that they might kill me."

He shrugged and pushed back from the table. "I have seen many assassins cross my path, Ghost. You're one of the better ones I've looked out for but even the best eventually find the day that they can't lift their sword anymore. You've bent the rules with this assignment and the Guild is beginning to question why you haven't completed it yet."

The dark weight from earlier reappeared in her chest, heavier than before.

"I have reported to them that multiple targets take time and slightly exaggerated the Foot Clan's unwelcome involvement. Needless to say, they expect results and soon. You'll have another assignment once you wrap it up here."

Raine's heart dropped further but her face showed none of her inner turmoil. She could see Daniels trying to assess her thoughts. Fear beat at the back on her mind, what would he do if he knew just how involved with her targets she really was?

His voice dropped and became soothing; he took her hand between his. "I've been doing this for a long time, Ghost, and I know you well. I can see that this one is different, or at least that it has changed something in you. I don't want to see you die, if you get to the point where you don't think you can fight anymore come to me and we'll get you out."

Touched by his concern, Raine nodded and squeezed his hand. "I will, Daniels. Give me another few weeks before you pull me out, ok?"

He nodded and let her go. "Go on, I'm sure you have things to do now."

She stood, tested her newly freed leg and left Daniels to his computers and other mysterious Daniels-only tasks.

* * *

That same heaviness rested in her chest now as she sat on the edge of the bath. Just how would she get through the next two trials if she couldn't control her own feelings about her targets? She clipped the cast back into place and strapped the brace onto her almost healed arm then headed for the kitchen with a crutch supporting her.

It was still quiet in the apartment but no longer as peaceful as before. Her thoughts had her feeling restless and edgy. She needed to move and expend some energy. Her leg felt heavy and she could tell where she had lost some strength from disuse. She ached to get out of the house and move but the risk of exposure was too high.

Raine stood by the window and watched the water-logged world go by, lost in her thoughts. She remained by the window for most of the day only remembering to eat and do some light exercise to strengthen her leg. After a while she would find herself drawn back to the window, as if somewhere in the rain-slick glass she would find the answers to her problems.

It was late in the afternoon and the rain had stopped when she was getting dinner ready in their small kitchen. Sara came home and Raine called out a hello only to receive a grunt in response. She smiled at the adolescent reply.

The sweet evening breeze caught Raines attention. After the frustrations of the day she just wanted to get away from the confines of the apartment.

The temptation to run and let the wind take her was so strong that Raine almost felt wings on her feet. She looked out the same window that had held her attention all day and watched as the sun dipped lower behind the buildings.

She looked sideways at her little sister; Sara sat comfortably on the couch eating potato chips watching the latest terrible show on MTV.

Raine suspected that she could escape relatively unnoticed considering Sara hadn't been aware of anything Raine had been doing since the TV had gone on.

She told Sara that she was going to lie down for a while and her sister responded with a negligent wave. Raine stifled her laughter, _how like a teenager_, she thought bemusedly.

Grabbing the bag from her closet, she unclipped her cast and left through her window. The walls were ragged enough that she could find hand and toe holds until she was high enough to scoot across to the fire escape.

Standing in the shadows of the maintenance shed she checked for anyone watching her. When she concluded that the area was safe she quickly changed into her Blood Guild uniform.

In acknowledgement to the fine evening she wore only a brief mask. The breeze that had first attracted her to run through the night now played with her hair and a feeling of freedom swept through her.

Containing an urge to whoop excitedly Raine took off for a nice long run.

* * *

She was reclining on a rooftop on the corner of Fifth Ave and East 88th St, watching the lake in Central Park when she heard them. Their footsteps were next to silent but she could pick out the soft smacks as they hit the cement.

Pulling her mask back down over her face, Ghost waited for the turtles

Don and Mikey ran the patrol course at an easy pace, nothing too strenuous for either of them. It wasn't Mike's first night back topside but it was the longest they'd been out since his attack. Leo and Raph were taking different sections of the city hoping to catch Ghost. Don didn't think they would but he hadn't said anything as they were leaving.

He looked over his shoulder. "How are you doing, Mikey?"

"Better than yesterday." He grinned. "But can we stop soon, I'm hungry."

Don laughed out loud before agreeing. He knew Michelangelo would want pizza so he pulled out his ShellCell and dialled. This particular place was only a handful of streets away; it would only take minutes to get to.

"Are we having dinner with a view tonight?" Don asked as he clambered onto the rooftop where Mikey was waiting.

When there was no answer Don turned his attention away from the pizza's and looked for his brother. Michelangelo was only a few feet from him, his stance was tense. Don quickly turned to face what had Mikey's attention and froze.

On the next rooftop sat a figure Donatello could only attribute to one person. Seconds passed and nothing happened. As far as Don could tell, Ghost hadn't even acknowledged their presence.

He reached out to Mike with his free hand. "Come on, Mikey. Let's go."

"No." Michelangelo pulled away from his and made the short jump onto Ghost's building.

Don cursed softly and followed. He knew he should call the others but instinct stopped him.

They were no more than a few meters from the black-clad assassin when she turned her head to look at them. He could see that there was no tension in her body, she wasn't there to fight.

"Hello, turtles. You both look well." Her softly husky voice carried to them.

Don stared and saw that Mikey was gaping as well before getting his brain partially under control and replying. "You do too."

A slight smile lifted the edges of her lips. "Considering the way I left you both, I am surprised… Please don't let me keep you from your dinner."

He looked down and remembered that he was carrying their pizza's. He nudged Mikey and settled the boxes on the ledge. Thankfully that was all it took to distract Mikey.

Don was half way through his pizza and continued to watch the assassin. She looked different tonight. Her arms were bare and instead of a full head mask, tonight she wore only a scrap of black cloth over her eyes and nose. Her hair played in the wind like moonlight.

Unable to tell what made him do so, Don stood with his pizza box and carried it to the still and silent woman.

"Would you like some?"

Ice blue eyes locked with his. He could see the questions in them before a shield blocked him out. She reached out and took a piece. "Thank you."

He retreated back to Mike.

"This is weird." Michelangelo muttered. Don could only agree.

Mikey turned to her. "Are you going to kill us now?"

"So, it does talk. I thought maybe I had done more damage than expected."

"He was too busy stuffing his face." Don said absently.

Amusement transformed her face, what he could see anyway, and Don had to consciously make sure he wasn't gaping. When she wasn't trying to kill them she was lovely.

"If that doesn't put me in my place I don't know what will. I don't think I've ever come second to pizza before."

"It's not just you." Michelangelo assured her. "I don't usually pay attention to anything when fresh pizza is in front of me. Or frozen pizza or pizza from the night before or pizza reheated after a few days….What did I ask you again?"

"You asked if I was going to kill you."

"Oh yeah, are you?"

She smiled. "No, my friend, I am not. You are safe from me. You both could and definitely should have killed me when you had the chance though."

"I told you we'd help you." Mikey said around another mouthful of pizza.

"As much as I appreciate the sentiment my situation is a bit more complicated than simply quitting my job."

Don slid his last piece to Mike. "You never know, we might be able to help with something."

She stood and stretched. "Tell your brother's to prepare for their trials. That will be the only way you can help me."

Without a backwards glance she disappeared into the darkness.

Don and Mikey stared at each other for a moment.

"Definitely weird."

Don nodded.

No more than thirty seconds later Leo and Raph appeared on the rooftop and Don had the suspicion that Ghost had known they were coming.

* * *

**Please leave a review. Thanks guys**

**TammyCat**


	16. Chapter 16

**Here we go, getting back into the action. Will try and update again soon, please review.**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Ghost stretched out and limbered up. Getting her blood pumping and warming up her muscles so they wouldn't be damaged during the intensive exercise she planned.

From tonight she was back in the saddle, no more slacking off. She had to get the contracts finalised before the Guild called her in.

It didn't help that her time alone with them was ending. Their human friends, April and Casey, were due back soon. She had done everything she could to delay their return. Flight cancellations, hotel stuff-ups, even basic environmental issues. Poor Casey had spent three days in a bathroom with food poisoning; Raine had winced when she'd heard that.

April and Casey were perfectly nice people, the only thing that made them a target was their association with the turtles. It hadn't taken much to engineer a relationship with them. Contrary to what Sara believed; Raine hadn't flown straight to her side after their father's death. She had already been in New York for a few days scouting when the news had come through. She had stayed on long enough to plant some seeds and learn what she could before leaving to collect her sister.

Ghost regretted that she had needed to use so many civilians this time around. It made extraction a lot harder and the whole situation was messier with more people.

Shoving the big mess to the back of her mind Ghost finished her preparations for tonight's run. Hopefully she would get into a fight tonight and sharpen up her skills.

She inspected the video screens set up in her headquarters. Each screen showed a different known exit that the turtles used. So far none of them had come out. The motion sensors placed under the manholes blinked a steady green at her.

Satisfied that she wouldn't run into them just yet, Ghost locked up her hideout and melted into the shadows.

* * *

Ghost poked her head over the edge of the building, idly wondering what the thugs in the alley were doing. She'd been following them for twenty minutes and was bored with what she saw. Ghost rolled over onto her back and stared at the haze over the city where the stars should have been. Soft clouds drifted past to hide the starless night and Ghost contemplated going down to harass the Purple Dragons. It wasn't what she'd planned for tonight but a work out would be good for her.

Ghost rose and worked out a few kinks she'd earned while lying in the rooftop. She crept silently down the fire escape hugging the building over their heads. She paused momentarily to pet a cat on a windowsill and continued downward.

The lead Dragon, Hun, was large for a man. Larger than most men, she had no doubts that he was using steroids to get such a hugely muscled torso. She'd seen Hun fight a couple of times and was aware of his style. He didn't have much technique behind his brute strength so Ghost would have to use other methods to bring him down. She was no match for him if they went head to head.

The apparent second in command cracked a whip at some of the grunts. It was a short stock whip and Ghost wondered briefly where he had gotten it from. He wore a nasty grin as he played with his unusual weapon. Ghost recognised his type; the sort of person that inflicted pain because he liked the power it gave him and the fear it inspired.

From what she could see of their operation, this was a warehouse for their stolen goods. A line of Dragons carried a variety of goods into the squat building next to her and came out empty handed.

Curiosity got the better of her and she made her way back up to the roof and over to the adjoining building. The roof was smooth and treacherous; pressure in the wrong place would shower everything below her in glass. She climbed like a monkey to the top of the structure and slipped through a broken section of glass, careful not to catch herself on the sharp edges.

A soft whistle slipped through her lips before she could stop it. The warehouse was full of just about everything that could be stolen in a city. Cars of all sorts took up a third of the space, waiting for their turn in a chop shop. The rest of the space was taken up by furniture, antiques, televisions, gym equipment and stacks of crates ready for shipment.

In a section off to the side she could see a man sorting through jewellery and another man counting cash. Every few minutes one or both men would disappear through a door to their left. She slipped a small telescope from her leg and studied the merchandise. Quality stones were scattered over one side of the bench and stacks of money sat on the other side.

Dropping down behind a midnight blue Mercedes, Ghost skirted the dim warehouse. Never one to let an opportunity for wealth pass her by, Ghost crept to the bench the men were working at. A lumpy brown bag sat on top of a pile to her left and as the men turned to the big safe behind them she reached up and felt around until her fingers closed on a small velveteen bag.

She pulled away her prize just in time and army crawled to the safety of the shadows. When the men went though the side door Ghost stretched her leg out and snagged the brown satchel with her foot.

By the time the two men had realized that some of their loot was missing she was already climbing back onto the rooftop.

A decidedly feminine pleasure rolled through her as she inspected the shine and sparkle of her new jewels. She pulled an exquisite emerald and diamond necklace out of the bag. The streetlights caught in the facets, making the stones glow softly.

Eagerly she sought the small soft bag she had taken first and poured its contents into her palm. Diamonds, good quality ones too as she recognised the name on the bag.

She sighed happily to herself as she tucked her expensive goods away. Not what she had expected for tonight but not exactly an undesirable detour.

Shouting and the faint sound of metal striking metal drew Ghosts attention away from her current task. She has spent the last fifteen minutes sorting through the big bag and wrapping the more delicate pieces in towelling she'd stolen from an open bathroom window nearby.

Hoping a gang war had started on the street, a quick peek over the side showed her that her hopes were for nought. The turtles were at it again.

Ghost turned back to her lucrative haul and hid it carefully under some rubbish before dropping down the fire escape once again.

She watched for a few minutes, trying to gauge how the fight was going and when she should join in. there was no doubt in her mind that she would be down there, she couldn't allow Red or Blue to be harmed until their trials were complete.

Movement caught her eye and she saw a dozen gang bangers running out of the warehouse to join the fray. Taking that as her cue, Ghost thanked her lucky stars that Hun was not around and she leapt from the fire escape to join the fight.

Ghost worked her way from the far side of the group to near the centre, leaving a trail of bodies behind her; she didn't even kill all of them.

She ducked a strike from an enthusiastic young gangster and countered with a direct punch to his crotch. The boy dropped like a stone, gasping and crying, holding is junk protectively. Ghost dismissed him and turned to the next player. This one was taller than her and at least thirty pounds heavier. His downfall turned out to be slowness and stupidity, Ghost considered his death to be a boon to the rest of intelligent life on Earth.

She stepped back into something hard and turned quickly, coming face to face with Michelangelo.

"Hi Betty."

"Why are you still calling me that? You know my name." She asked before darting to the side and skewering another man on her sword.

Mikey shrugged. "You're a girl."

Ghost rolled her eyes and saw a Purple Dragon coming up behind the turtle. She held out her hand. "Behind you."

With only a moments hesitation Michelangelo grabbed her wrist and propelled her around him. Ghost brought her feet up and collected the man in the chest.

"Nice." Mike grinned as they looked down at their foe. "We work well together."

Ghost shot him an amused look and walked away to find more Dragons. She made her way back towards the warehouse when she heard the whip crack.

She looked around, there were only a few stragglers left, most of the Purple Dragons had run off when they saw they were getting beaten. The main fighters were circled around the turtles. Michelangelo and Donatello were back-to-back while Leonardo faced off with three men. She searched out the cracking sound again and saw Raphael fighting off two men while the man Hun had obviously left in charge snapped the whip at him. Even from this distance Ghost could see the red marks the whip left behind.

Anger boiled her blood until she saw red. She slipped her shuriken from their place on her belt and loosed them at the two men fighting Red. The darts landed on target in the backs of the men's necks. The two Dragons screamed and thrashed, trying to get at whatever had stung them, giving Red enough time to smack their heads together and deal with the one whipping him.

Ghost leapt to the side and rounded on the Dragons crowding Blue.

* * *

Raph saw the dark figure out of the corner of his eye as the two Purple Dragons dropped to the ground. Ghost! Fury filled his thoughts.

Sharp pain across his shoulders and loud crack of a whip distracted him. Who the hell used a whip these days?

He turned on the man, anger pouring out of him. He wanted to kill Ghost but this douchebag, who been whipping him fro the last five minutes, would have to be taken down first.

The gangster was cackling and Raph didn't think he'd noticed the other Purple Dragons on the ground yet.

The whip struck out again this time Raph caught it, ignoring the harsh sting across his palm. He twisted his wrist and began to wrap the leather around his fist. The Dragon's leader came out of his euphoria and swore. Raph grinned and adjusted the grip on his sai as a large knife appeared in the man's hand.

With a sai in one hand and the whip tail wrapped around the other, Raph advanced on the Dragon. Behind him he could hear his brother's dealing with the rest of the gangsters and, he assumed, Leo would be having his turn fighting Ghost.

An emotion similar to jealousy ran through Raph, making his attacks more vicious than normal. He dodged the knife and aimed a kick at the man's midsection. The Dragon flew back several yards but managed to get back on his feet before Raph could strike again. They clashed, sai and machete locking together over and over again as their owners struck at each other in any way possible.

* * *

Ghost stood back and watched the fury between Raphael and the Purple Dragon. They were fighting with nothing held back. Pure hate seemed to push both combatants. It was mesmerising, a vicious dance that could only end in bloodshed.

She felt the presence of the other turtles nearby and turned. Michelangelo was smiling at her, Leonardo watched her suspiciously and Donatello waved shyly.

She smiled under her mask, there was something compelling about these guys that she knew she'd never forget.

She nodded to them. "Orange, Purple, Blue. I wasn't expecting to see you tonight."

She was careful not to use their names, if only for her own comfort.

Leonardo opened his mouth but was railroaded when Mikey jumped in and hurried to her side. "That was awesome; I think you should switch sides and fight with us." He paused, smiling. "Or you and I can partner up and be like the Lone Ranger, protecting the city from evil."

Ghost rolled her eyes and caught Leonardo doing the same thing. He was dividing his attention between her and Raphael's fight. She could tell he wanted to help his brother but stayed back. To watch her?

Leonardo caught her eyes; he seemed to size her up and rolled his fingers over the katana grips. Raine shook her head slightly and frowned, her gaze going over his shoulders noting each cut. Disappointment and anger welled in her heart; she couldn't put Leo or Raph on trial if they were injured. Her time was running out.

"Not tonight, Blue. You will face me when you are not injured." Ghost said, not disguising the anger in her voice.

A sudden cry of pain drew their attention back to the fight. Ghost saw Raphael turn and throw his assailant to the ground. The man's head hit the concrete with a sharp crack. She felt pride as Raph stood victorious over his fallen opponent, pride turned to concern when he faced them and she saw a large cut across his upper arm. Anger bloomed as she catalogued his injuries, her eyes locking on to the wound dripping blood down his arm onto the whip still attached to him.

Ghost sensed that the other turtles were a heartbeat away from running over and aiding their brother. She was a step ahead of them, running towards Raphael as he adjusted his weapons on his belt.

A quick sound behind her had Raphael turning to her before she could get into position. Ducking his lunge, Ghost scooped up the handle of the whip still wrapped around his hand and looped it over Raph's head dragging his arm across his body. She pulled, unbalancing the weakening turtle, and pivoted to drag him the other way. He crashed to the ground, his wounded arm trapped across his chest by the leather of the whip.

Ghost pounced, she straddled him, catching his free arm under her knee to keep him still. A small blade against his throat kept his brother's at bay.

Anger that they were making her job harder, on various levels, burned in her veins; she could see matching fire in his eyes.

"Is this how ya going ta kill me?"

She growled, the sound coming from deep in her throat. "You are mine. No one else gets to kill you, do you understand? Do not engage in fights outside of your trial. When you are healed you will face me."

Ghost press her fingers against the gash in his arm when he started to struggle. Raphael cried out as her fingertips went into his wound. She pushed closer until their faces were only inches apart.

"You are mine, do not forget that."

Raphael glared at her and for just a moment Raine appeared. Her eyes drifted down to his mouth, twisted in derision. Her mind went back to days earlier when they had been sitting on top of her building watching the city and stealing kisses from each other. His body tensed and his eyes widened as if he could see what she was thinking.

Ghost reasserted herself before Raine did something them to give them away. She pushed off Raphael and walked away. She heard the turtles pulling their brother to his feet but didn't turn around. She scaled to the rooftop, collected her stolen jewels and returned to her hideout, the whole time refusing to look back at the turtles.

* * *

Raphael let the others help him to his feet; his arm burned where the Purple Dragon's machete had sliced him and where Ghost's fingers had dug into him. His fingers were slick with blood around the leather of the whip.

He looked up at the rooftop where she'd disappeared. What the hell had that been all about?

_You are mine_.

Her words reverberated around his head. Why had she sounded so possessive if she planned to kill him? More disturbingly, for Raph, why had he felt his body react? For a moment there he thought she'd been about to kiss him. She had stared at his mouth in such a way that Raph had felt trapped.

He winced as Donny checked the cut in his arm; blood was still flowing out of it steadily.

"We have to get you home, that arm needs to be sutured."

Raph grunted, the pain wasn't as bad as the weakness that was growing. He loosened his bandana with his good hand and handed it to Don. The red material soaked up the blood and the pressure slowed the bleeding. Mikey unwound the whip-tail from his hand.

"Come one guys, there could be more Purple Dragons." Leo said as he pushed his shoulder under Raph's good arm.

"Was that weird for anyone else?" Raph asked as they left the alleyway. He flexed his newly freed hand and pain spiked up his arm.

Mike grinned slyly. "Only for you. She hasn't gotten touchy-feely with the rest of us." He made kissing sounds.

Raph was glad his loss of blood stopped any from staining his cheeks. He was sure Mike was right; she hadn't gotten close to any of the others like that. It baffled him that she had looked him like she wanted to make a meal of him. It worried him that he hadn't wanted to hurt her at the time. He had just lain there, doing nothing, with her pressed against him. The anger he usually felt at simply hearing her name had been absent.

Around him, his brothers behaved as expected; Mikey teased, Leo lectured and Don watched quietly. Raph gratefully let the pain distract him from any further disturbing thoughts.

* * *

**I would appreciate reviews, please and thank you. I'll be back shortly :)**

**TammyCat**


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